Apprentice and Pregnant 2
by malicent
Summary: Becoming a mother when you're an apprentice is hard. But being the kits born to an apprentice is proving to be a challenge in itself. Hollyshines three kits are getting older, and disturbing events have sunk their claws in the young cats, with no intentions of letting go.
1. Infamous

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 1: Infamous

_Baby I'm preying on you tonight_

_Hunt you down, eat you alive_

_Just like animals, animals_

_Like animals_

_Baby you think that you can hide_

_But I can smell your scent for miles_

* * *

><p>Thornpaw raced through the trees, looking behind him to make sure Berrypaw and Redpaw were keeping up. Berrypaw was right behind him, his long gray fur streaming behind him in the wind. Redpaw was a bit farther back, mouth open as he panted to keep up. He was the smallest apprentice, so Thornpaw didn't give him any grief about falling a bit behind. He turned his attention back forward, jumping over sticks and bushes as he ran as fast as he could.<p>

"Up here!" he called over his shoulder as he spotted the Owl Tree, looming above the rest of the other trees. It was the tallest tree on Shadowclan territory, and it was exactly what Thornpaw was looking for. He leaped onto the first branch, struggling to get a grip before launching himself up again and again, until he was a quarter way up it. Berrypaw scrambled after him, spending a second too long on the first branch like Thornpaw had. Thornpaw watched Redpaw as he had the same problem, wondering if he was going to need assistance when his back claws latched and he propelled forward. The three toms gasped to catch their breath as they sat on the same giant branch, worn out from sprinting clean across the territory.

"This is going to be the best prank in _moons," _Thornpaw said excitedly, gold eyes shining. "Cats are gonna be talking about this one for a while."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Redpaw asked, voice sounding skeptical. "I mean, its one thing to play a prank on someone… but what if we actually _scare _them-"

"Aw, stop sucking all the fun out of it," Berrypaw smacked the back of Redpaws tiny head with a paw, cutting him off. "We've been planning this forever. It's gonna be _hilarious_."

"Aw, man," Redpaw shook his head, looking up at Thornpaw with a worried expression. "It's just that… well, Orangetail is still upset about the last prank we pulled and I don't think he's gonna be very impressed-"

"Orangetail is gonna get upset no matter what," Thornpaw broke in, thinking of Redpaws mentor and how he was constantly complaining. "Besides," he paused again to wink several times. "My mentor thinks my jokes are funny."

"That's because you got Cedarwing for a mentor," Redpaw grumbled. "She laughs at everything. Orangetail was _livid. _And it's only gonna get worse if we do this-"

"My mentor is gonna get mad, but I don't care," Berrypaw interrupted loudly.

"Will you _stop _cutting me off?" Redpaw snapped. "It's really freaking rude."

"Sorry," Thornpaw apologized, knowing that Berrypaw wasn't going to. "Just try to chill out, Redpaw. This prank is gonna kick ass."

"And we've been planning it for a moon;" Berrypaw put in. "Can't let that go to waste."

A sudden crackle below made Thornpaw perk his ears up, and he peered down through the branches. He could see a patrol of cats making their way towards the tree.

"Okay, this is it!" Thornpaw whispered excitedly.

For moons, the Shadowclan medicine cat Flametail had been taking the liberty to carry out patrols once every few days. He brought the cats on his patrols to an area on the territory, and explained the history behind whatever topic he chose. It started out as a helpful exercise, and everyone enjoyed learning a bit on where they lived. But it didn't take long for Flametail to run out of information, and when he did, he started making things up. His stories had gotten so ridiculous that Snakestar had told him to stop, but he kept doing it anyway. For a while now Thornpaw had been listening to Flametail talk about his 'special talking owl lesson.' And since it was going to be the biggest patrol yet, he decided to make it one worth remembering.

Thornpaw watched as the cats came closer, feeling giddy as he saw the turnout. It looked like half the clan was following Flametail to the tree. _We're gonna go down in the history books for this one._

"Aw, shit," Berrypaw swore under his breath. "My mentors here. I was hoping he was gonna be hunting or something."

"Thought you didn't care," Redpaw smirked. Berrypaw pretended not to hear him.

"Pay attention," Thornpaw whispered as the cats came into earshot. "We gotta wait for the perfect moment."

"So, as you can see here, this is the _Owl Tree," _Flametail was saying, talking as if he was explaining something to a bunch of kits. He used a paw and made a big show of pointing to the giant tree Thornpaw and the others were sitting in. "Home to a family of owls."

"We know what the Owl Tree is," Brambletail called out. "Flametail, we're not idiots."

"But I have a secret to share with you," Flametail protested. "The owls… they aren't what they seem!"

"This is ridiculous," Thornpaw heard more than one cat mumble. He looked up at his friends, clearing his throat quietly. _It's time!_

"Are you talking shit about us again, Flametail?" Thornpaw said loudly in the disguised voice he had been practicing for weeks on. He could barely say the full sentence because he wanted to laugh so badly. Beside him Berrypaw was shaking, silently laughing.

Below, Flametail shrieked and jumped, staring up into the tree. The cats in the patrol also looked confused, and they looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Hello there," Flametail said in a mystical voice, obviously enjoying the fact that he was the center of attention. "I am glad you have chosen to speak at this time, great owls of the Owl Tree."

"We're going to puke mice on you," Berrypaw blurted out.

"WE'RE GONNA PUKE MICE ON YOU!" Redpaw suddenly shrieked after him.

By now the patrol had erupted into laughter, while Flametail just sat there looking downright confused and insulted at the same time. Thornpaw, Berrypaw and Redpaw were now in complete hysterics. Thornpaw could barely breathe, let alone keep his grip on the branch. He slipped off it and crashed down into a giant pile of leaves below.

"YOU!" Flametail yelled as Thornpaw stood up dizzily. "I KNEW IT WAS YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, YOU RUINED MY LESSON! I AM NOT IMPRESSED!"

"We're gonna puke mice on you," Berrypaw whispered loudly from where he was sitting. Everyone started laughing again, Thornpaw the loudest.

"Oh my god you guys," Cedarwing said from where she was sitting. "This has got to be your best one yet."

Thornpaw looked over at his mentor, feeling happy that she noticed and wasn't mad.

"THIS ISN'T _FUNNY," _Flametail screamed. He stalked away, shaking his head angrily. "THORNPAW, YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!"

Thornpaw smiled, taking note of the angry faces amongst the smiling ones. _Yeah I'll pay for it later. But it was so worth it._

His eyes drifted off behind the cats suddenly, beyond where the Thunderclan border lay. He remembered the she cat he had met at the gathering, Laurelpaw. He remembered how her eyes had shined when she spoke to him, and how interested she seemed. He couldn't get her pretty face out of his mind. _I wish she was here, I wish she watched my prank, _Thornpaw thought to himself.

_I bet she would have laughed._

* * *

><p>"How was the gathering?" Tigerstripe asked as he approached the apprentices. "Was it everything you thought it would be?"<p>

"It was _wonderful," _Laurelpaw said dreamily, batting her eyelashes as she thought of Thornpaw and his cuteness. "I wish it went on forever."

"Oh," Tigerstripe said in surprise, turning to look at Silverpaw. "Did you have fun too?"

"It was fine," Silverpaw mumbled, looking at his sister with a confused look. "Laurelpaw, you've been in a daze since we left. Why are you so happy?"

"I'm just happy I got to meet cats from other clans," Laurelpaw replied. _His eyes were so gold and shiny… why can't any apprentices in Thunderclan be as cute as him?"_

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," Tigerstripe said at last, shooting one final glance at Laurelpaw. He walked away in the direction of Swallow Star, who was sitting with Leaftail and Snowsong by the warriors stump.

"Jeez, sis tone it down a bit," Cracklepaw whispered, looking around to make sure no one was really paying attention. "Cats are gonna wonder."

"Wonder about what," Laurelpaw said, gazing off into the distance. _I wonder if he thought about me since the gathering ended… Oh I hope he has!_

"Laurelpaw, snap out of it!" Silverpaw waved a paw in front of Laurelpaws face. "Get that Shadowclan cat out of your head."

Laurelpaws world came crashing down at once.

"How did you know that's what I was thinking about?" Laurelpaw asked, glaring at her brothers. _I thought I was hiding it well!_

Cracklepaw shared a look with Silverpaw before replying. "You're as transparent as a ghost," Cracklepaw said at last. "We saw the look on your face when you were talking to Thistlepaw or whatever and-"

"Thornpaw," Laurelpaw corrected him at once.

"Whatever," Cracklepaw snapped. "As I was saying, you-"

"I could have sworn on my _life _that his name was Thistlepaw!" Silverpaw crowed, unable to help himself. "Wow, all this time… what world have I been living in?"

"AS I WAS SAYING," Cracklepaw raised his voice. "Laurelpaw you gotta think of him as any other Shadowclan cat, okay? They are our enemies, and not to mention the shadiest clan in the forest."

"Fine, fine," Laurelpaw mumbled, trying her absolute hardest to think of something else. "I get it."

"Good," Cracklepaw nodded curtly, looking pleased with himself. "Now let's drop it okay, I see mom's coming over."

Laurelpaw turned around, happy to see her mother Hollyshine walking towards them. Hollyshines face was lit up, obviously looking forward to hearing about her kits experience at their first gathering.

Hollyshine was a small dark blue she cat, no bigger than Laurelpaw herself. She had had Laurelpaw and her brothers when she was still a young apprentice, which made her an awkward age where she acted like a new warrior, but still tried to act like a mom at the same time. None the less Laurelpaw loved her, even though she was more like a sister.

_I still wonder where our father is though._

_Why does everyone refuse to talk about him?_

"Hey!" Hollyshine greeted them as she approached. "How's my favorite kits?"

"Your only kits," Silverpaw put in.

"Still my favorite," Hollyshine winked, nuzzling her head into her son's side. It nearly looked like Hollyshine was the apprentice and Silverpaw was the warrior for a moment, due to Hollyshine being so much smaller. Laurelpaw smiled. _She looks out of place and all, but she looks happier than ever._

_I wonder why Thornpaws friends acted so weird when they brought her up_

_What made them look so freaked out?_

_Sometimes I think I'll never know_

Laurelpaw yawned and stretched, getting tired from all the excitement.

"You look tired, baby," Hollyshine commented at once. "Why don't you go rest? I know Swallow Wings planning on taking you three out for tomorrows morning hunting party."

"In that case, we better go crash," Cracklepaw said. "It's getting pretty late."

"Go join your brother," Hollyshine nudged Silverpaw, who got up reluctantly. "I'm not tired."

"I'm sure you will be sleepy the second you get in your nest," Hollyshine insisted. "Go on."

"I should go to," Laurelpaw said, wondering why Hollyshine wasn't insisting for her to follow Cracklepaw too.

"I miss being in the apprentices den sometimes," Hollyshine said suddenly, looking sad. "I miss my daughter."

"Aw, mom," Laurelpaw said, feeling embarrassed. "I'm right across the clearing."

"I know," Hollyshine mumbled. "But I still get sad sometimes. You're my only daughter, and I love you dearly. So does Grayclaw. You know this, right?"

"Yeah," Laurelpaw replied, feeling weird at all the sudden sappiness. "I love you both too."

"I was gonna ask you," Hollyshine said suddenly, the tone in her voice changing. "Did you talk to any cats from different clans? Make any new friends?"

At once Laurelpaw was back in her dream world, Thornpaws face clouding her mind.

"I met a Shadowclan tom that was really nice," Laurelpaw confessed, deciding to tell the truth despite what Cracklepaw said about hiding it. "He was really cute too."

At once, Hollyshines face began to change.

Her eyes turned scared, and the sides of her mouth twitched.

"What?" Laurelpaw cried in alarm, completely unprepared for Hollyshines reaction.

"Nothing," Hollyshine said, but her voice was shaky.

"Clearly you're lying," Laurelpaw snapped.

"Just remembering an unpleasant memory," Hollyshine said at last.

"His name was Thornpaw," Laurelpaw blurted out, unable to stop herself. _He's all I want to talk about! I can't help it!_

"Thornpaw?" Hollyshine thought about it for a moment. Then her face changed again and she laughed. "Oh, no way! I've heard of him! I overheard Swallow Star and Snakestar talking about him at a gathering I went to recently… apparently he's a _huge _troublemaker. Playing pranks like his life depends on it, I hear."

"He's was super nice," Laurelpaw said, happy that Hollyshines mood had changed.

"Okay, enough about tom cats," Hollyshine said, voice turning serious again. "You have a whole lifetime to worry about them."

"I know," Laurelpaw replied.

"Go to sleep, baby," Hollyshine whispered, rubbing her face against her daughters. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Laurelpaw said kindly. She started making her way over to the apprentices den, thoughts still dead set on Thornpaw.

_I can't get you out of my head_

_Am I in yours?_

_Even a little bit?_


	2. The Dark Days

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 2: The Dark Days

_Whenever, wherever  
>We're meant to be together<br>I'll be there and you'll be near  
>And that's the deal my dear<em>

* * *

><p>"Firepaw is so <em>cute,<em>" Ivypaw sighed loudly, interrupting Pinepaw who was in the middle of talking about her training session. "Do you think he likes me?"

"Oh my god," Pinepaw hissed, glaring at her friend. "I was in the middle of talking about my day. You're so rude."

"I'm sorry," Ivypaw said, not sounding sorry at all. "I just can't _help _it! Look at him, he just _breathes _cuteness."

Laurelpaw looked over to where Firepaw was sitting with her brothers. He was a scrawny cat with legs that looked too long for his body and a neck that seemed oddly too short. He had a thin orange pelt that he was constantly itching and his nose never seemed to stop running. Laurelpaw really didn't see the attraction at all.

"I wish he'd come over here," Ivypaw sighed. "Why do you think he won't?"

"Maybe because he's more comfortable around a group of tom cats instead of us she cats," Pinepaw said in an exasperated voice. Laurelpaw could understand her frustration, Pinepaw seemed to explain this to her every day.

"You need to get over Firepaw, dude," Laurelpaw said, feeling tired of listening to her go on and on about Firepaw all the time. "He's not that great."

"You're just jealous because I'm gonna get a mate before you," Ivypaw said triumphantly. "You're mad because I'm in a happy relationship!"

"Kind of a one sided relationship if you ask me," Pinepaw said under her breath.

"Ha!" Laurelpaw cackled.

"What?" Ivypaw whined, not hearing her.

"Nothing," Pinepaw replied, winking at Laurelpaw. Laurelpaw smiled, thinking of Thornpaw for the zillionth time. _Firepaws got nothing on him._

"Well, I'm not gonna settle for anybody but the best," Pinepaw suddenly said. "I've got my sights on Swallow Star."

"What?" Laurelpaw cried out in alarm. "Why are we just hearing about this now?"

"I wanted to tell you guys," Pinepaw said. "But _somebody _won't shut up about Firepaw."

"Speaking of Firepaw," Ivypaw said instantly. "Did I tell you he said he-"

"I'm talking now," Pinepaw snapped, cutting her off.

"Why did you have to pick Swallow Star?" Laurelpaw asked, completely confused. _That seems like a terribly unrealistic thing to think about._

"He's cute, he's funny, we talk like _all _the time," Pinepaw said at once.

"Oh yeah?" Laurelpaw snickered. "Name one conversation you've had with him today."

"Well," Pinepaw thought about it for a second. "Today he organized an apprentice fighting lesson and said my name out loud and looked right at me."

"That's not a conversation," Laurelpaw scoffed.

"Well, it's better than nothing," Pinepaw said dreamily. Laurelpaw didn't know which of her friends was more unrealistic. _One likes the apprentice who looks like a snot nosed kit. The other has the hot's for the leader. _

Laurelpaw paused as something crossed her mind. _I guess I'm not much better. I like a Shadowclan cat._

_Maybe we're all a little unrealistic_

* * *

><p>Thornpaw felt as though his paws were on fire as he made the walk of shame into Snakestars den. Adrenaline from earlier was still racing through his veins, nearly making him dizzy. <em>That was probably the best prank I've ever pulled, <em>he thought, smiling uncontrollably. _I can't stop thinking about it! _He knew he was about to get into a lot of trouble, but he didn't care. _Cats around here need to get a sense of humor. _

Snakestar had found out right away what had happened; Flametail wasted no time filling him in on the details. Thornpaw wasn't even in the camp for ten minutes before Snakestar had approached him and told him he needed to talk to him in his den.

_I guess I gotta get the hard part done, _Thornpaw thought to himself as he padded into his leaders den. _Every good time has a price._

He stopped short as he realized Snakestar wasn't the only one who looked up at him as he entered the cave. Redpaw and Berrypaw were already there, with Orangetail, Cedarwing and Berrypaws mentor Whitewhisker. Berrypaw looked up at him with a feverish expression, looking like he was gonna be sick. Redpaw stared at the ground, not looking up to meet his eyes.

"Come in, Thornpaw," Snakestar said, voice stern. He beckoned with his tail for him to sit down next to Cedarwing.

"Now that you're all here, I'm gonna start," Snakestar said, sighing loudly. "Today there was a big disruption among Shadowclan. Does anyone know why?"

_I really hope that's a rhetorical question, _Thornpaw thought to himself, fidgeting with his paws.

"There was a disruption because we were joking around," Redpaw whispered at last, sounding miserable. "We're sorry."

"Not only did you make a complete fool out of Flametail," Snakestar growled. "You also made fools of yourselves. You three have shown so much immaturity lately that I'm finding it hard to take you seriously."

"We're sorry," Berrypaw put in, sounding like he really meant it. Thornpaw felt his heart sink a little. _We're just having fun… that doesn't make us immature. _

_Does it?_

"Your mentors have things they want to say to you too," Snakestar nodded at Orangetail, signaling for him to speak first.

"I'm ashamed of you," Orangetail snapped at once, glaring down at Redpaw. "I try so hard to train you and help you learn, but you spend all your time fooling around."

"We were just having fun," Thornpaw protested, feeling as though that was a little harsh. "We try our best at training and-"

"Silence," Snakestar growled, glaring at Thornpaw. Thornpaw shut his mouth with a snap.

"As I was saying," Orangetail scowled at Thornpaw before turning back to Redpaw. "All this silliness needs to stop. You're not a kit anymore."

"I'm sorry," Redpaw whispered.

"I'll go next," Whitewhisker said as Orangetail stopped talking. "Berrypaw, I feel the same way Orangetail does. I'm finding it hard to mentor you when you focus all your time and energy on playing jokes."

"I understand," Berrypaw replied, voice less timid than Redpaws. "I'm sorry too."

Whitewhisker nodded and looked over at Cedarwing.

Cedarwing fixed Thornpaw with a cool gaze, and Thornpaw had to fight tooth and nail not to wink at her. _She's not mad. She loves my pranks… and she knows I'm not a stupid apprentice._

_She's my best friend, next to Redpaw and Berrypaw. _

"Thornpaw, as funny as your prank was, I feel that you should be focusing your time and energy on becoming a warrior," Cedarwing said simply, voice kind. "That's what being an apprentice is all about. I also understand how you want to have fun and-"

"Alright, that's enough," Snakestar cleared his throat as he cut her off, clearly not expecting her to lay it so easy on him. "I hope you all learned something while you were in here."

"We'll try harder," Redpaw bowed his head to his leader. This made Snakestar look slightly uncomfortable.

"No need to bow," Snakestar coughed awkwardly and shifted his paws. "I'm not going to punish you, but consider this your last warning. Tone down the pranks, or next time you won't have it so easy."

Thornpaw wasn't surprised as Snakestar looked directly at him as he said those words. He stood up, figuring this was a dismissal.

"Thornpaw, I'd like you to stay for a moment," Snakestar said suddenly. Surprised, Thornpaw sat back down. He watched as the other cats walked out, catching Cedarwings eye.

_What's going on? _He asked mentally, shooting her a look that said what he was thinking. Cedarwing shrugged slightly with wide eyes, looking confused too.

When the den was empty, Thornpaw started to feel terribly uncomfortable. _Maybe I'm in more trouble than I expected, _he thought. _Maybe I shouldn't have been so cocky. Shit, Snakestars giving me the weirdest look ever. What does he want to say to me?_

"You look nervous," Snakestar commented suddenly.

"I am," Thornpaw confessed, voice lacking his usual confidence. "What did you want to talk to me alone about?"

"Alright, well," Snakestar stopped talking to look behind him at the den entrance, as if he was making sure everyone was really gone. "It's about you, and well, your pranks."

"I thought we covered that topic already," Thornpaw mumbled.

"We did," Snakestar nodded. "But I want to say some things to you because I know you're the leader of your little group. Can I trust you not to repeat what I'm about to say to Redpaw and Berrypaw?"

"You can trust me," Thornpaw replied, wondering just where the heck this was going with this. _He doesn't even look mad at me. If anything he looks amused…_

"Alright, well," Snakestar started. "Okay, I'm gonna admit it. Your prank was hilarious. I laughed pretty hard when I heard about it."

Thornpaw beamed, standing up a little straighter. _Hell yeah, Snakestars on my side!_

"I'm sure I speak for the entire clan when I say that no one was enjoying Flametails patrols," Snakestar continued. "I think you put an end to them, so thanks."

"No problem," Thornpaw said, feeling all giddy again. He felt more at ease at once, and he remembered suddenly that Snakestar was quite young himself and must know what it's like to have a good laugh once in a while.

"I also wanted to bring something else up with you," Snakestar said, voice turning serious. "I'm sure you've heard about the past, haven't you? When we had our old leader Nightstar and his deputy Longtail?"

Thornpaw thought about it for a second, piecing together all the things cats had told him about the past. He had heard a lot about Longtail, and how evil he was.

"I was told that Longtail raped Hollyshine from Thunderclan," Thornpaw mumbled, feeling icky just saying the words. "And then Nightstar launched an attack on them for her kits."

"That's right," Snakestar said quietly, eyes holding an emotion that Thornpaw didn't understand. "Those were the darkest days Shadowclan has ever seen. That poor apprentice's life was ruined. All because of one cat's cruel heart."

"I met Hollyshines daughter at the last gathering," Thornpaw said. "She's a spitting image of her mother, all right."

"Laurelpaw," Snakestar murmured. "And Cracklepaw and Silverpaw."

"Yeah," Thornpaw said, not caring to talk about her brothers. _Aw man she's so freaking cute. And now she's in my head again, great. _"She's super nice- I mean, _they're _super nice. I talked to Laurelpaw for a bit before the gathering started, she's kind and chatty and-"

"Not at all like her father," Snakestar interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Just like Cedarwing. One could never guess that she shares the same monster for a father."

"Cedarwings awesome," Thornpaw agreed. "I'm really happy to have her for a mentor."

"I'm glad to hear it," Snakestar said, tone indicating that he was about to draw the conversation to a close. "Anyways, Thornpaw. I just wanted to say that Shadowclan has finally gotten out of the dark days. I'm glad that you're able to get some laughs out of others, because not too long ago everyone was sad all the time and it made for a depressing environment."

"No problem," Thornpaw smiled.

"But maybe take it down a notch, would ya?" Snakestar winked at Thornpaw. "I don't want you to fall behind in your training. I'm very fond of you and I look forward to picking out your warrior name."

"Thank you for being so understanding," Thornpaw said, looking up at Snakestar with a new respect in his eyes. _Snakestars such a good leader. I can't even imagine what Nightstar was like._

"Maybe go apologize to Flametail too," Snakestar said. "I think he's still sulking somewhere."

"I will," Thornpaw promised, getting up. "Have a good evening, Snakestar."

"I will," Snakestar said kindly. "Make sure you don't stay up too late. I need you up bright and early for the dawn patrol."


	3. My Fathers Eyes

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 3: My Fathers Eyes

_Cross my heart and_

_Hope to die_

_Tooth for a tooth and _

_An eye for an eye_

_I don't get mad, I get even_

_I get even_

_Even, even_

* * *

><p>"Hey guys."<p>

Hollyshine looked up to see Swallow Star walking over, with a funny smirk on his face.

"What are you looking so sly about?" Tigerstripe asked; taking a bite out of his squirrel he was eating. "You look like you want to tell us something."

"Nah," Swallow Star grinned. "I just saw you three over here and for a moment I had a flashback of when we were younger."

"We were just plotting to sneak into Riverclan," Leaftail giggled. "Doesn't that sound like a _great _idea?"

"God, I can't believe we used to be so dumb," Tigerstripe mumbled.

"We were the worst," Leaftail nodded, agreeing. Hollyshine looked at her sister, remembering just how awful she used to be. _I'm so glad she changed._

"So how are things?" Swallow Star asked, sitting down next to Tigerstripe. "It feels like I haven't talked to you all at once in forever. What's the latest gossip?"

"Well, mentoring Pinepaw has turned into more of a chore than I thought it would," Leaftail said, looking around to make sure her apprentice wasn't nearby. "All she can focus on lately is talking about tom cats."

"Ha!" Tigerstripe cackled. "Does she ever! I walked by her and her friends yesterday when they were having a conversation and holy man I heard some things I didn't want to hear."

"Like what?" Swallow Star asked. Tigerstripe shot Leaftail and Hollyshine a look. Hollyshine understood it at once; it was no secret that Pinepaw had a huge crush on Swallow Star.

"Seriously," Swallow Star continued. "I'm the leader, and I like to know what's going on and-" he broke off for a second and thought something over, staring at his friends. "Wait, why did everyone just get quiet?"

"Why did _you _get quiet," Tigerstripe said, obviously at a loss of what to say.

"Oh I think I know what's going on," Swallow Star said suddenly, nodding his head slowly and looking away.

"You do?" Hollyshine asked, feeling awkward.

"Yeah," Swallow Star said solemnly. "She likes Fuzzwhisker, doesn't she?"

"Sure," Tigerstripe mumbled.

"I had a feeling it was a bad idea making him her mentor," Swallow Star sighed, shaking his head.

"Fuzzwhiskers mates with Snowsong," Leaftail said suddenly. Tigerstripe glared at her in a way that signaled to drop the subject.

"How's mentoring Silverpaw?" Hollyshine blurted out, changing the subject. "Is he doing well?"

"Oh, he's awesome," Swallow Star nodded. "Fights like a little warrior, and hunts like one too. I'm pretty proud of him."

"Me too," Hollyshine flushed with pride as Swallow Star said these words. _He'll grow up to be one of the best warriors of Thunderclan! It's also such an honor to be the leaders apprentice... I'm so happy for him!_

"I was actually meaning to talk to you about Silverpaw," Swallow Star said suddenly, turning to Hollyshine with an odd look. At once Hollyshines blood ran cold. "Why?" she demanded.

"He, um," Swallow Star broke off, squinting his eyes as if he was thinking about how to word something. "Well, how much does he know about how he was born?"

"I told my kits that I fell in love with a Shadowclan tom and couldn't wait to be a mother," Hollyshine whispered as quietly as she could. "I thought we talked about this already…"

"We did, we did," Swallow Star reassured her.

"Then what's the issue?" Hollyshine snapped, feeling feverish at the very thought that something might be wrong with her son. "Why did you ask that?"

"He's just," Swallow Star broke off again, and Hollyshine hissed with frustration.

"Do you want us to go somewhere else?" Tigerstripe asked, coughing awkwardly. "You know, if you want to have a private conversation and all-"

"Silverpaw gets frustrated really easily," Swallow Star blurted out after what seemed like eight moons. "He gets so _angry _at himself for no good reason. He'll mess up something as simple as his hunting crouch and I hear him muttering terrible things under his breath, and the look in his eyes is often kind of scary."

"Everyone gets frustrated," Hollyshine said at once, defending her son. "Are you saying you're above swearing when you screw up sometimes?"

"I do," Swallow Star whispered gently. "But Hollyshine, it's different with him. He has a look in his eyes that I've never seen in anyone but-" he broke off.

Hollyshine felt a hideous rage build up in her. It was so strong it nearly choked her and knocked her off her paws.

"Finish your sentence, _Swallow _Star," Hollyshine hissed, ears flattening on the back of her head. "Stop _swallowing _your words."

"Yeah, I think we're gonna like, go over here," Tigerstripe mumbled, walking away quickly with Leaftail behind him.

Swallow Star stared at Hollyshine, the expression on his face cautious.

"Where else have you seen the look in his eyes before," Hollyshine growled, knowing very well what he was going to say. _How dare he even think this… how DARE he even compare Silverpaw to that monster…_

"I've seen the same look in his father's eyes," Swallow Star said at last, defeated. "Longtai-"

"Don't say his name," Hollyshine hissed menacingly. She stalked up and shoved her face in Swallow Stars, eyes shooting fire. Her legs were trembling and she felt as though she couldn't stand anymore. She pushed it away with all the strength she had.

"Silverpaw is not his father," Hollyshine snapped, voice cracking and shaking. "He is PERFECT. He's not a monster like that… that _demon_ that tormented me."

"I'm not saying he's a monster," Swallow Star said, trying to calm her down. "I'm just telling you as your friend, Hollyshine… Silverpaws got some anger in him, anger that I don't see in his brother and sister-"

"As a _friend," _Hollyshine hissed, interrupting him. "I'm telling you to back off."

"Okay," Swallow Star said at last, giving up. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

Hollyshine felt tears start to involuntarily well up in her eyes as her anger melted away. She hated herself as she saw the miserable expression on her friend's face, how helpless he looked.

_He was just looking out for me_

_Looking out for my son…_

Hollyshine shoved her face forward and buried it into Swallow Stars shoulder, feeling her tears roll down onto his white fur.

"I'm sorry for being so mean," Hollyshine sniffed. "I'm sorry, Swallow Star."

"It's okay," Swallow Star whispered, his deep voice gentle and comforting. "I understand."

Hollyshine stayed where she was for a long time, trying to push away her thoughts.

_I know what Swallow Star is talking about_

_I've seen the look in Silverpaws eyes _

_Longtail haunted me with the same stare_

_What if he has his father's genes?_

_What will I do then?_

* * *

><p>"Awe, man," Firepaw cried, holding up a paw. "I stepped in tree sap again!"<p>

Cracklepaw started laughing, unable to help himself as Firepaw stared at his paw in disgust. _I swear, there could be one spot in the world where there's sap on the ground. Firepaw would somehow find it._

"Shit, guys, it's everywhere," Firepaw mumbled. Cracklepaw was now in complete hysterics. Firepaw had tried to step out of it but it only succeeded in spreading it around.

"Stop laughing and help me!" Firepaw snapped, wiping his paws on the ground. This did nothing except make grass and dirt stick to him too.

"Can you stop doing that?" Silverpaw said suddenly, shooting a wary glance over his shoulder. "The girls are over there and they're watching us and-"

"Maybe if I grab some leaves-" Firepaw grunted as he stood on his hind legs, waving a paw in the air in an attempt to grab some leaves that were on a low branch.

"Ugh, they're staring at us," Silverpaw mumbled, looking very awkward. "They're probably talking about how weird we are and-"

"SHIT!" Firepaw shrieked as he lost his balance and fell over. He fell flat on his belly into the tree sap that was on the ground.

"Oh for god's sake," Silverpaw hissed.

Cracklepaw was laughing so hard he had to sit down. Tears streamed from his eyes and he rolled over onto his back, laughing nonstop.

"Well, I might as well give up forever," Firepaw sighed, not bothering to get up. "Seems pretty pointless to keep on living, I'll say. The way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if I got struck by lightning now."

"Get out of the sap, you idiot," Silverpaw sighed.

"I think I need to go sit in the pond for a bit," Firepaw grumbled as he forced himself to his paws. "Man, I'm covered in this shit."

"I wouldn't mind going to the pond too," Cracklepaw said, thinking of the pond that was just outside the camp behind their territory. "I want to try and catch a frog again."

"Do we have to go right now?" Silverpaw whispered, shooting a glance at his brother. "If we go to the pond, that means we have to walk by the she cats and-"

"I'm not gonna sit here all freaking day covered in sap just cause you don't have any confidence," Firepaw broke in. "Now let's go before this crap dries."

"Chill out," Cracklepaw whispered into his brother's ear as they stood up to go. "Who are you trying to impress, anyway? It's just Ivypaw, Pinepaw and our sister over there."

"I kind of like Pinepaw, alright?" Silverpaw whispered back. "Not a lot, just you know, enough to not want her to see us parading by with Firepaw and his sap problem."

"Just act natural," Cracklepaw whispered as they got closer. "If anyone needs to be embarrassed, it's Firepaw."

"What happened to you?" Ivypaw giggled as they came into earshot. "Firepaw, it looks like you took a bath in honey."

"WHAT'S UP, LADIES," Firepaw declared loudly, strutting forward in an exaggerated fashion. "And it's not honey, its tree sap."

"We watched you fall over," Laurelpaw snickered. "It was really funny."

"Yeah, I did it for the laughs," Firepaw said, nodding his head as if that was actually how it went.

"Where are you going now?" Ivypaw asked, batting her eyelashes at Firepaw.

"To the pond, babe," Firepaw replied at once. "Not because I have sap on me, just cause I want to."

All the she cats started giggling at this, and Cracklepaw found himself shaking his head in disbelief.

_The cat is the weirdest looking apprentice… and not handsome at all to boot. He's covered in tree sap. His nose is running everywhere. Yet he has more confidence than I've ever seen. Go figure._

"We'll come with you," Ivypaw said at once, getting up.

"I'm gonna go do something else," Laurelpaw said, rising to her paws and yawning.

"Why won't you come to the pond?" Ivypaw whined.

"Because I have better things to do than sit in a pond with my brothers and-" Laurelpaw broke off to look at Firepaw, who was now covered in dirt as well as sap. He smiled a toothy smile, clearly happy with himself. Laurelpaw didn't finish her sentence and walked away.

"To the pond!" Firepaw bellowed, charging forward. He tripped over a stick and crashed face first into a bush.

"You feeling better?" Cracklepaw asked Silverpaw under his breath. Silverpaw turned to him, looking slightly better than before.

"I'm alright," he replied simply. Cracklepaw shrugged and followed his friends out of the camp. He couldn't help thinking of Laurelpaw, and how her bright silver eyes always shined and sparkled, emotion lighting them like stars.

Silverpaws never changed from a dull gray.


	4. Firepaw, Shut Up

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 4: Firepaw, Shut Up

_I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you_

_Until you love me_

_Papa-paparazzi_

_Baby there's no other superstar you know _

_That I'll be, papa-paparazzi_

_I promise I'll be kind, but I won't stop until _

_That boy is mine_

_Baby you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me_

_Papa-paparazzi_

* * *

><p>Thornpaw felt agitated. He sighed loudly, trying to get his friends attention. Berrypaw, who was lying in the sun, took no notice. Redpaw gave him a glance but that was it.<p>

_I haven't played a prank in days, _Thornpaw thought to himself. _It's starting to make me feel restless. The rest of the clan have seemed to let their guards down a little, I think they think I'm done with pranks. _

_Guess today's the day to prove them wrong!_

"SIGH," Thornpaw said loudly, not bothering to actually sigh.

"What do you want?" Berrypaw snapped, getting up at once. "All you've done in the past ten minutes is sigh and shuffle around. It's like, super annoying."

"Yeah, what's going on?" Redpaw put in.

"Okay, first things first, you knew I had something on my mind and you just ignored it?" Thornpaw said in a fake hurt voice. "How rude."

"You're bored because you haven't played any pranks lately, right?" Redpaw said.

"Hey, yeah," Thornpaw said in surprise. _Sometimes I think they know me almost as well as I know myself. _"What gave it away?"

"Wild guess," Redpaw mumbled.

"So," Thornpaw said excitedly. "What should we do? It's gonna be hard to top the owl prank but I'm sure we can think of something-"

"Have you already forgotten what Snakestar told us?" Redpaw interrupted him. "He said no more pranks. And Orangetail has _finally _calmed down. There's no way I'm gonna make him mad again, no sir. I got it bad enough when we got in trouble last time."

"Oh, forget about lousy ol' Orangetail," Thornpaw scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Come on guys, let's do something fun!" he turned to Berrypaw expectantly.

"Well, Snakestar did say…" Berrypaw mumbled, voice trailing off. He looked down at the ground, and Thornpaw stared at him in disbelief. "Well it's apparent you both turned completely lame overnight!" he cried.

"I just don't want Snakestar to get mad," Berrypaw defended himself hotly. "I don't know why you don't seem to care, Thornpaw. He's our _leader. _We have to do as he says."

"Yeah, yeah," Thornpaw mumbled, thinking of Snakestar. _I wish I could tell them what Snakestar told me, about toning down the pranks instead of stopping them entirely. Man, this sucks._

"We wouldn't get in trouble from Snakestar if we didn't prank Shadowclan," Redpaw suddenly said in a joking voice. "Let's go to Thunderclan and mess with them a bit."

"Really?" Thornpaw said hopefully.

"No," Redpaw sighed. "No, Thornpaw. I was kidding."

"Can we _please_ stop arguing?" Berrypaw growled. "Thornpaw, we want to play a prank as much as you, but it's a bad idea."

"Yeah, the gatherings tomorrow and if we piss off Snakestar anymore, he'll make us stay in camp for sure," Redpaw added sadly.

"True," Thornpaw mumbled. _I guess they have a point there. I don't want to mess up my chances of going to the gathering; it's been an entire moon since I've seen Laurelpaw._

_Maybe she's worth putting my pranks on hold for a while_

* * *

><p>"Alright apprentices," Swallow Star announced. "As I explained to you all earlier, I'm gonna make things a little more interesting today. You will be broken up into teams of three, and the team who catches the most prey today will get to go to the gathering tomorrow."<p>

Laurelpaw looked over at Pinepaw excitedly, happiness running through her bones like lightning. _Oh, the gathering! I can't wait! I haven't seen Thornpaw in nearly a moon; I can't wait to talk with him again!_

_My team is gonna win… I'm gonna make sure of that._

"Can we pick our teams?" Cracklepaw asked, sitting close together with Silverpaw and Firepaw. Laurelpaw rolled her eyes. _It's apparent he's already picked who he wants in his group._

"No, I'm gonna pick," Swallow Star replied. "And even if I _did _let you pick, that wouldn't work, Cracklepaw. It wouldn't be fair to have a full team of tom cats against the she cats."

"Cause we're stronger," Firepaw whispered loudly.

"Strength is nothing if you're dumber than a stick!" Laurelpaw shot back at once, glaring at Firepaw. Firepaws eyes widened suddenly, clearly not expecting that. Everyone started to laugh except Swallow Star, Ivypaw and Firepaw.

"Laurelpaw, that's enough," Swallow Star said sternly. But his eyes were shining with amusement, and Laurelpaw knew he wasn't mad. _Stupid Firepaw thinks he's the king of the world. Someone's gotta take him down a notch once in a while._

"Okay, I'm gonna pick now," Swallow Star said, looking at each apprentice slowly. Laurelpaw looked over at Pinepaw and Ivypaw, feeling sad that they were going to be split up.

"Okay, so team one is going to be Silverpaw, Ivypaw and Cracklepaw," Swallow Star said after thinking it over. "Team two is Laurelpaw, Firepaw and Pinepaw."

"Aw, come on," Ivypaw mumbled, sighing loudly and gazing over sadly at Firepaw. "I wanted to be on Firepaws team!"

"I separated you two for a reason," Swallow Star said under his breath. Laurelpaw giggled, staring up at him. _I think I'm the only one who heard that._

"I didn't mean to say that out loud," Swallow Star said, smiling suddenly as he saw her laughing. "Oops."

"We're gonna win, I hope you know," Silverpaw called over to his sister. "Have fun 'guarding the camp' tomorrow."

"We're going to beat you with flying colors!" Laurelpaw shot back. But her voice was more confident than she felt. _Cracklepaw and Silverpaw are the strongest apprentices… it sucks Swallow Star put them on the same team. Meanwhile I'm stuck with Pinepaw and Firepaw. _Laurelpaw looked up as Firepaw approached her, looking annoyed that he didn't get put with his friends.

"Guess we're a team," Firepaw sighed loudly, looking incredibly unimpressed.

"You're so freaking rude," Laurelpaw hissed. "Just shut up."

"I don't know how," Firepaw said sweetly, leaning close to her and batting his eyes innocently. "After all, I'm _dumber than a stick."_

Laurelpaw didn't know how to respond, and was happy when Swallow Star started talking again.

"Alright, so on to the second part," Swallow Star said. "Obviously, I can't let two groups of apprentices go hunting all day without a warrior present."

"We'll be good, I promise," Cracklepaw called out.

"I'm sure you will be," Swallow Star replied. "But you can't go out by yourselves. And since Tigerstripe and I don't have anything to do today, we've decided to help each team."

Laurelpaw gasped, along with more than a few others. _The leader AND deputy? Wow, this is so cool!_

"And to make things a little more fun," Tigerstripe spoke up for the first time, walking up to the conversation. "We've decided that Swallow Star and I will both hunt too. Whatever we catch will be contributed to the team."

"Wow," Pinepaw breathed. She leaned over to whisper into Laurelpaws ear at once. "Oh my god. Swallow Star better be on our team. I'm sending a prayer to Starclan right now."

"If Swallow Stars with us, then you're gonna be distracted the entire time," Laurelpaw whispered back. "We should request Tigerstripe, that way you'll be more focused."

"No way, dude," Pinepaw said. "I want Swallow Star."

"Well, I want to go to the _gathering!_" Laurelpaw hissed back in frustration.

"Girls," Swallow Star cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, yeah, you're not whispering very quietly."

"Oops," Pinepaw shut her mouth with a snap and looked down, clearly embarrassed. Laurelpaw rolled her eyes, not caring. _I don't care if Swallow Star heard us. Maybe he'll assign Tigerstripe with us for sure now._

"I'll hunt with Cracklepaws team," Tigerstripe said suddenly, completely unaware of the exchange between Laurelpaw, Pinepaw and Swallow Star.

"Hell yeah," Laurelpaw overheard Silverpaw say to Cracklepaw. "Now we're gonna win for sure."

Laurelpaw felt a sudden wave of sadness and frustration. _Tigerstripe is one of the best hunters in Thunderclan. Not saying Swallow Star isn't good, but everyone knows he's a better fighter than hunter. So they have both my brothers, Tigerstripe, and Ivypaw. Ugh, Ivypaws good too. And on my team, Pinepaws gonna be distracted and not do her best, and the rest of us are just simply not as good as the others._

_Well, I guess I'm not going to the gathering. I give up already._

"What's wrong?" Firepaw whispered in her ear. Laurelpaw jumped and snapped her head around, face to face with Firepaw. The fur on top of his head was greasy and sticking up everywhere and his breath smelled like he had eaten a bunch of mushrooms. But the expression in his eyes was different, as if he actually cared. Laurelpaw braced herself for him to mock her, expecting sarcasm.

"Nothing," she hissed in his face.

"Okay," Firepaw shrugged awkwardly and looked away. At once Laurelpaw felt bad, realizing that he was genuinely asking. _The one freaking time he cares, I act like a bitch. Go figure._

"Hey, Firepaw," Laurelpaw said quietly, turning around again. "I'm sorry-"

"Hey Cracklepaw," Firepaw interrupted, not hearing her. He walked away before Laurelpaw could apologize.

"Alright teams!" Swallow Star called out. "The competition starts now. May the best hunters win!"

Laurelpaw sadly walked towards the camp entrance, feeling agitated and angry. _This is so unfair. _

"We'll tell you all about the gathering tomorrow!" Silverpaw laughed as he charged past her, Cracklepaw right behind him. "Wait up for us to get back!"

"Shut up," Laurelpaw muttered under her breath. Ivypaw followed them, falling quite a ways behind. Her tail drooped low to the ground and she looked sad, clearly upset she didn't get to hunt with Firepaw.

"See you later," Ivypaw sighed as she walked by Laurelpaw. Laurelpaw gave her friend a sad glance in return. _Looks like neither of us got what we wanted._

"Hey, cheer up a little!"

Laurelpaw turned to see Swallow Star padding up to walk beside her. He looked at her with confusion, clearly confused on why she looked so miserable.

"You were like, super happy before," Swallow Star said, ducking his head so he could get out the camp entrance without brushing his head on the thorns. "What happened? You look as if someone died."

"Oh, I'm fine," Laurelpaw replied, not really sure how to explain what she was feeling. "I just really wanted to go to the gathering."

Swallow Star shot her a funny look, smiling slightly. "Are you that sure that we're gonna lose? I'm kind of insulted."

"No, no," Laurelpaw said quickly, realizing how bad that sounded. "It's just that… oh, I don't know how to describe it."

"I do," Swallow Star said as they walked side by side into the territory. "You think our team isn't as good as the other one."

Laurelpaw shot him a sheepish look, feeling ashamed. _He must think I'm so rude. Ugh._

"I know what I'm doing," Swallow Star said. "Our team is more structured than you may think. I would have liked Ivypaw to be in Tigerstripes group, but I can't have her with Firepaw for obvious reasons."

Laurelpaw snorted. "Yeah, no kidding."

"We'll be fine," Swallow Star smiled brightly at her, and Laurelpaw felt a little better. _Swallow Star is the nicest cat ever. Treats everyone with kindness and respect, it makes me feel good._

"Laurelpaw, does Pinepaw have a thing for me?" Swallow Star asked, taking a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure the young she cat wasn't in earshot. "She seemed um, pretty eager for me to lead our patrol."

Laurelpaw stiffened, getting about twenty different flashbacks at once.

_Swallow Star is so cute, he should be a cat in Starclan cause he's so dreamy._

_Do you think Swallow Star noticed me today? I looked in a puddle and I think I look pretty good. Do you think he could tell?_

_Swallow Star smiled at me today. I'd say we're making progress in becoming mates, don't you think?_

_Swallow Star is my everything, Laurelpaw. It's not just a phase._

_I'm in love with Swallow Star_

_Swallow Star is the reason of my very existence_

"I dunno," Laurelpaw mumbled. "She might like you, it's hard to say."

Swallow Star looked over at her with a doubtful expression. "I think you're lying."

"Alright, she does," Laurelpaw sighed. "Just don't tell her I told you, kay? It was supposed to be a secret."

"Not much of a secret if you ask me," Swallow Star scoffed. Laurelpaw giggled, forgetting all about the gathering for a moment. _I think Swallow Star is more than just my leader now. I think he actually might be a friend. _

_Which is good, but also sucks in a way cause I can't hide things from him cause he's the leader._

_Sorry, Pinepaw._

"I don't want her to like me," Swallow Star mumbled.

"If you even look at her, she'll talk about it all day," Laurelpaw warned.

"Goddamn," Swallow Star swore.

"Alright, let's focus on hunting," Laurelpaw said, deciding that they shouldn't waste any more time chatting.

Swallow Star smiled and looked over at her, an odd look in his eyes. "Good idea."

"I have a bit of an plan," Laurelpaw said, thinking something over.

"Let me hear it."

"You have an plan?"

Laurelpaw jumped and turned around. Pinepaw and Firepaw had caught up, looking excited.

"Hi," Pinepaw said sweetly, staring at Swallow Star.

"Hey," Swallow Star coughed awkwardly and looked over at Laurelpaw. "What's this plan of yours?"

"Well," Laurelpaw said, feeling optimistic again. "I know for a fact that Silverpaw and Cracklepaw will hunt on their own. I don't think they would have thought about teaming up."

"So?" Firepaw asked rudely.

"What if we hunt in pairs?" Laurelpaw said, ignoring Firepaws terrible attitude. "One can distract the prey; the other goes in for the kill. That will save a lot of stalking. Also cuts out a lot of trial and error as well."

"Sounds great," Swallow Star said, looking very impressed. "Awesome thinking, Laurelpaw."

"Thanks," Laurelpaw said happily.

"So how should we divide up?" Swallow Star asked, looking over at Laurelpaw in a hinting way. Laurelpaw could tell what he was thinking, mentally sending her a message to pick Pinepaw as a partner so he wouldn't be stuck with her.

_I'd rather be with Pinepaw anyway. Otherwise I'd be forced to go with Firepaw and that won't do anybody any good._

"I get Swallow Star!" Pinepaw declared loudly before Laurelpaw could open her mouth.

"Terrific," Swallow Star mumbled.

"But, Pinepaw, I wanted to be with you," Laurelpaw said feebly. _She's not gonna change her mind, but I have to try anyway._

"I don't want to work with Laurelpaw," Firepaw growled, glaring up at her. "Pinepaw, be my partner instead."

"No," Pinepaw said happily, staring dreamily at Swallow Star.

Laurelpaw had had enough of arguing. _Tigerstripes team has probably caught at least five things by now, and all we've done so far is bitch and whine about who gets who for a partner. We are going to win this thing, I have my heart set on going to the gathering and if I have to achieve it by working together with Firepaw, then so be it. _

"Firepaw, let's go," Laurelpaw said.

"Alrighty then!" Firepaw said in a terribly fake cheerful tone. Laurelpaw hissed under her breath, trying to calm herself down. _Don't let him get to you. Don't let him get to you…_

"Alright," Laurelpaw said, looking determinedly at her team mates. "Let's win this damn thing."


	5. I Thought You Knew

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 5: I Thought You Knew

_You spurn my natural emotions_

_You make me feel I'm dirt_

_And I'm hurt_

_And if I start a commotion_

_I run the risk of losing you,_

_And that's worse_

* * *

><p>Laurelpaw ran through the trees, every last bone quivering with determination. She felt as though her body wasn't going fast enough, and she sped up even more.<p>

_Go faster._

_Be stronger._

_We're gonna win._

"Slow the hell down," Firepaw wheezed after her, pausing to cough and catch his breath. "You're going way too fast."

"You're going way too _slow_," Laurelpaw replied, skidding to a halt. _Leave it up to Firepaw to hold things up. _

_I'm not even surprised at this point._

"Let's go," Laurelpaw snapped, poking him with a paw.

"Stop," Firepaw said.

"No, we need to go-"

"Shut up and _stop,_ you idiot," Firepaw hissed angrily, glaring at her with an intense dislike. "I hear prey."

Laurelpaw shut her mouth quickly, realizing that he was right. There was a scuffling sound coming from underneath the undergrowth, Laurelpaw figured it must be a mouse.

Firepaw didn't speak, wordlessly taking the roll of the distraction. Laurelpaw moved silently over the ground, making her way around the mouse to trap it. Laurelpaw waited until Firepaw leaped to make her move. The second Firepaw jumped up, the mouse squeaked in surprise and darted away, straight into Laurelpaws waiting claws. She killed it quickly and covered it up with a few leaves.

"Good work," Laurelpaw mumbled as she walked back over to Firepaw.

"You too," Firepaw growled back, not meeting her eyes. Laurelpaw looked at the young cat, her unexplained anger towards him melting slightly. His eyes were focused ahead, seeking out more prey. Laurelpaw stared at him, realizing how blue his eyes were.

_All I ever look at is his greasy fur. I make fun of him all the time about how he looks._

_He's mean to me, makes me look like an idiot in front of everyone else and acts like I don't exist_

_He's arrogant and conceited, and gets along with everyone but me_

_Why does he hate me so much?_

"I can see you staring at me," Firepaw mumbled, glancing at her quickly. "Peripheral vision, yo."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Laurelpaw blurted out, unable to help herself. Firepaw stopped concentrating at once, and turned to stare at her. His blue eyes narrowed angrily.

"I'll write you up a list and then we can go over the key points," he said sarcastically.

"What the hell is your _problem?" _Laurelpaw cried, tearing up the grass with her claws in frustration. _God, this cat drives me crazy._

"It's so funny how you actually _wonder _why I don't like you," Firepaw said, chuckling to himself. "Okay, well you really wanna know? Hmm, where should we start? Alright, how about this, I overheard you talking to Pinepaw once about how ugly you think I am. How my body isn't _normal _and how _disgusting _I look."

"Oh," Laurelpaw whispered, taken completely off guard. "Firepaw, that was-"

"_He's never gonna get a mate," _Firepaw interrupted, mocking her voice angrily. _"And if he does, she's gonna have to be blind. Who would ever be attracted to a cat that looks like that? Ew!"_

"How _dare _you," Laurelpaw hissed, a sudden anger washing over her. "I've heard you say some pretty awful things about me too, you know!"

"Oh really?" Firepaw rolled his eyes and spat on the ground.

"_Really,"_ Laurelpaw hissed. "Silverpaw told me that you think I'm _useless. _You told him that you don't understand how I have any friends because I'm such a _bitch."_

"You are a bitch!" Firepaw cried. "The biggest bitch I know!"

"Screw you," Laurelpaw hissed quietly.

"Screw _you," _Firepaw whispered, staring straight into her eyes. "You think you're so much better than me because you're pretty and I'm not. Well I have news for you, Laurelpaw. I may be ugly, but guess what? At least I wasn't a freaking _accident."_

Laurelpaw stopped cold, the word accident felt like a slash to the throat.

"Oh, that shut you up, didn't it?" Firepaw said triumphantly. "Oh, don't act all hurt and shocked or whatever. It's no secret to you what you are; it's no secret to everyone else either. You're the result of a raped apprentice."

Laurelpaw started to shake, and she sat down, staring sightlessly forward. Her vision went cloudy and she felt as though she was going to throw up.

"Laurelpaw?" Firepaws voice turned from anger to concern in a matter of seconds, and he leaned down to look at her. "Okay, that was too far. I'm sorry I said that."

Laurelpaw thought back to the last gathering, when Thornpaws friends had looked at her weirdly and refused to talk to her. She thought of how everyone seemed to dance around the topic of her birth, and how Hollyshine had looked scared when she had talked about liking a Shadowclan cat.

_Hollyshine didn't fall in love with my dad… he used her_

_And everyone knows_

_Everyone knows, except me _

"Laurelpaw, come on, I didn't mean it," Firepaw pleaded, looking genuinely scared. "We were just fighting like we always do… I never meant to hurt your feelings, _please _Laurelpaw… get up…"

"No one wanted me," Laurelpaw whispered dully. "I was an accident… My mom didn't want me…"

"Hollyshine loves you," Firepaw whispered, sitting down next to her. "Laurelpaw, seriously. I'm so, so sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well, you did," Laurelpaw said, voice cracking. _I can't believe this_

_My life was a mistake_

_I wasn't meant to be born_

"I thought you _knew!" _Firepaw cried, looking terribly upset. His fur started to quiver, and his eyes grew shiny as if he were about to cry. "I only fight with you because that's the only way I know how to communicate with you… I like you so _much_ and you think I'm disgusting so I be _mean _to you, because then you'll respond to me."

"It's okay," Laurelpaw said, not listening. "Let's go hunt some more."

"I don't want to hunt," Firepaw whispered, looking genuinely too upset to hunt anyway. "I feel _terrible_."

Laurelpaw looked at him, and didn't look away for a few moments. Despite the new information he had told her, Laurelpaw felt bad for the cat. He looked like a scared kit, hiding in the corner as he watched a battle. His blue eyes were getting glassier by the second, and Laurelpaw knew it wouldn't be long until he started crying.

"Don't cry," she said, deciding to make the best of it. _I guess there's no point in being sad about this, it's not like it's gonna change anything. _

"I'm sorry," Firepaw said for what seemed to be the zillionth time. "I'm so sorry."

"Firepaw," Laurelpaw said, feeling her sadness vanish slightly as she realized Firepaw seriously cared about her. "You're not ugly. A little strange looking maybe, but definitely not ugly."

"Thanks," Firepaw choked, voice breaking. The tears in his eyes suddenly started to fall, and he looked down at the ground as they splashed on the grass.

"I always knew there was something up with how I was born," Laurelpaw said slowly. "Sure, I'm upset about it. But at least I don't have to wonder anymore."

"I guess," Firepaw whispered.

"Stop being sad," Laurelpaw said gently. "Wipe those tears off your face and let's go hunt some more. We have a lot of prey to catch if we want to go to the gathering tomorrow."

"So you're seriously okay?" Firepaw asked, voice becoming slightly more stable.

"I'll be okay," Laurelpaw said truthfully. "Now enough of this sad shit. It's so much more fun when we fight."

"Well then, let's go hunting," Firepaw said, looking at her with an expression Laurelpaw had never seen before. "Bitch."

"Shut up, dumbass."

* * *

><p>"Hey, how'd you do?" Swallow Star asked breathlessly, looking dead tired. Laurelpaw dropped her prey on the ground so she could talk.<p>

"We have quite a bit more buried," Laurelpaw explained. "It's gonna take a few trips."

"Are we _finally _gonna stop hunting?" Pinepaw sighed dramatically and sat down. "We've been doing this all day."

"I guess it's getting dark," Swallow Star commented. "Yes, I'm sure the other team has stopped by now. Let's work on bringing all this back to camp."

"I hope we win," Laurelpaw said excitedly.

"Hey, what's wrong with Firepaw?" Swallow Star asked suddenly, looking over at the young cat. Firepaw still looked sad about what he said earlier, and Laurelpaw was suddenly under the impression that he was more upset than she was.

"Firepaw?" Swallow Star asked again, looking alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Firepaw whispered.

"Where's your attitude?" Swallow Star said jokingly, trying to make him laugh.

"Gone," Firepaw mumbled. Swallow Star looked over at Laurelpaw, clearly wondering what had happened.

_He'll be fine, _Laurelpaw mouthed the words. Swallow Star just nodded, and gave one last concerned glance at the orange apprentice before picking up his prey.

"Let's get this back to camp," He said through his mouthful. "And find out who gets to go to the gathering. I have a feeling it might be you three."


	6. Don't Turn Around

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 6: Don't Turn Around

_The last time I freaked out_

_I just kept lookin' down_

_I s-s-stuttered when you asked me what I'm thinking 'bout_

_Felt like I couldn't breathe_

_You asked what's wrong with me_

_My best friend Leslie said, oh she's just being Miley_

_The next time we hang out_

_I will redeem myself_

_My heart, it can rest till then_

_And I can't wait_

_To see you again_

* * *

><p>"Stare and cry," Cracklepaw said triumphantly as he dropped his last catch on his pile. "Just try not to get any tears on my <em>glory."<em>

Laurelpaw stared at the pile of prey her brothers team had collected. _Holy shit, did they ever do well. There's enough there to feed the clan for days._

"Told you we'd win," Silverpaw piped in as he dropped his last mouse on the massive heap of fresh kill. "I don't see why this comes as a surprise."

"Is that all you have?" Swallow Star asked mildly, shooting a glance at Laurelpaw. Laurelpaw felt her paws go all tingly, and she tried to repress her excitement. _Yeah they got a lot, but so did we._

_Little do they know is, we have three more trips to make_

"This is it," Ivypaw smiled, shooting a glance over at Firepaw to see if he noticed. Firepaw, who was busy picking dirt off his claws, wasn't paying attention.

"I'm impressed," Tigerstripe marveled, eyeing Laurelpaws teams pile. "Your pile is almost as big as ours. Impressive, Swallow Star. You were a worthy opponent."

"Thanks," Swallow Star shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, you busy?"

"What?" Tigerstripe asked, confused. "No, why?"

"Cause we're gonna need some help packing the rest back," Swallow Star said, breaking off to grin widely. "We've got at least three more loads buried out there."

The look on Cracklepaw and Silverpaws face was priceless. Laurelpaw laughed and jumped around in excitement. _Ha! We showed them!_

"You have _more?" _Cracklepaw cried in shock. "But… how-"

"I don't know how this comes as a _surprise," _Laurelpaw said gleefully. Swallow Star laughed and nudged her, clearly enjoying the look on everyone's appalled faces.

"Surprise," Swallow Star snickered.

"You guys suck," Silverpaw hissed, stalking away angrily. Cracklepaw mumbled something inaudible and followed him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So," Swallow Star said, smiling at the apprentices. "Have fun at the gathering tomorrow. "You've earned it."

* * *

><p>Hollyshine craned her neck, hoping to see one of her kits wandering around. She was excited to find out who had won Swallow Stars little competition.<p>

"Cracklepaw!" Hollyshine called out, noticing her son making his way to the apprentices den. "How'd the hunting go?"

"Don't want to talk about it," Cracklepaw snapped, pushing his way into the den without another word. Hollyshine didn't flinch at his tone, realizing by the way he was acting that he must have lost.

_That means Laurelpaw and her team must have won! Oh, I'm so proud of her!_

"Hey, Hollyshine."

Hollyshine turned to see her friend Fuzzwhisker standing there, smiling nicely at her.

"Oh, hey!" Hollyshine greeted him. "The apprentices are back from the gathering. Cracklepaw just used attitude with me so I inferred his team lost."

"Yeah, Swallow Stars group won by a landslide," Fuzzwhisker said, face holding an odd expression.

"Firepaw must be so excited to go to the gathering tomorrow," Hollyshine said, wondering suddenly why Fuzzwhisker looked kind of strange. _What's up with him? His son won the competition! _

"Something weird happened when they were hunting," Fuzzwhisker said, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about," Hollyshine whispered, anxiety running through her bones at once.

"You know Firepaw, and um, how he is, right?" Fuzzwhisker said, speaking very slowly. "He's kinda, well, um-"

"Thinks highly of himself," Hollyshine said, deciding that was the best way to put it. _Thinks highly of himself, conceited to the nines, arrogant, rude, sarcastic, doesn't give a shit about what anyone thinks of him. Yeah, we all know how Firepaw is._

"He left for that competition excited and full of, uh…" Fuzzwhisker paused again, clearly finding it difficult to describe his son nicely.

"Attitude?" Hollyshine suggested. _To put it as mild as possible._

"Good word," Fuzzwhisker nodded. "Well, anyways, Hollyshine. Firepaw left for the hunting trip like his normal self, and then when he came back, something had changed."

"What do you mean?" Hollyshine asked, genuinely confused. "He is my apprentice, you know. I know how he is… I've never even really seen him sad. What had changed?"

"I always forget he's your apprentice," Fuzzwhisker admitted. "Anyways, he came back _miserable. _He could barely talk. And his face was all wet and I knew he had been crying."

"Oh, dear," Hollyshine blinked at him sympathetically. "Do you have any idea what might have bothered him?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," Fuzzwhisker mumbled, looking down at his paws. "I have a feeling that it might have something to do with your daughter."

* * *

><p>Laurelpaw chewed her fresh kill slowly, staring off into the distance. Her eyes were set on the stone camp walls, but she wasn't seeing anything. She was lost in her mind, deep in a sea of thought. <em>I still can't believe it, <em>she thought sadly, feeling slightly dull again. _This whole time I had thought Hollyshine had fallen in love with a Shadowclan warrior. I thought she had broken the warrior code out of true love and wanting kits._

_Guess that wasn't the case._

_And this whole time my brothers and I have been oblivious, living life blind to the truth. How many cats look at us with dislike, with resentment about the past? There are still so many questions I have…_

_Should I tell my brothers?_

_And my real father, the cat who raped Hollyshine… where is he now?_

There was so much going on in Laurelpaws head that she was getting a headache. She sighed and tried to force her thoughts out of her mind, trying to think of happy things like the gathering and Thornpaw.

_I can't wait to see him, _she thought dreamily, thinking of his beautiful golden eyes. _I hope Swallow Star takes us early so I can have more time to talk with him-_

A sudden thought then made Laurelpaw stop cold.

_Wait_

_What if he doesn't come?_

_WHAT IF HE HAS TO STAY BEHIND AND GUARD THE SHADOWCLAN CAMP?!_

_I NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS_

_SHIT_

Laurelpaw had had enough of thinking. She sighed and ate the rest of her fresh kill, feeling really terrible inside. _Man, life sucks right now._

"Hey, baby," Hollyshines voice suddenly distracted her, and Laurelpaw looked up to see her mother standing in front of her.

"Hey, mom," Laurelpaw whispered, unable to meet her eyes. _I have to tell her what I know. I can't keep a secret to save my life. _

"I heard you won the competition," Hollyshine said proudly, crouching down on her paws to settle down next to her. "Good job! I'm sure you must be very excited to go to the gathering tomorrow."

"Yeah," was all Laurelpaw could choke out. Hollyshine stared at her, an unknown look in her eyes. Laurelpaw knew this look; it was the look Hollyshine got whenever she knew Laurelpaw wasn't telling her something.

But something in Laurelpaw made her keep her mouth shut.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Hollyshine asked quietly.

"Like what," Laurelpaw asked miserably. _How does she already know that there's something wrong?_

"You tell me," Hollyshine replied gently. "Fuzzwhisker told me that Firepaw came back quite upset. Do you know anything about that?"

"He told me something that bothered me," Laurelpaw mumbled, figuring that wasn't entirely a lie. "And I got upset, and then he got upset, and then it all went downhill."

"What did he tell you?" Hollyshine asked, looking confused. "And why were you talking while you were hunting?"

"We were fighting, we always fight," Laurelpaw sighed.

"Did he insult you?" Hollyshine asked angrily. "If he did, I'll have him cleaning the elders den for days. I know how he can be, Laurelpaw. I mentor him. He's got quite the mouth on him, and I totally understand if he crossed the line."

"He didn't mean to hurt my feelings," Laurelpaw said, feeling very uncomfortable. _I don't want to talk about this. I really don't want to talk about this. _

_But I have no choice._

"What are you getting at?" Hollyshine asked, shaking her head in confusion. "What do you mean, you were fighting, but he didn't want to hurt your feelings? That doesn't make sense!"

"We always tear each other down, he'll insult me in front of everyone and then I'll do it back, it's more like a game than anything," Laurelpaw said, finding it very hard to explain her relationship with Firepaw. _I'm not even sure how to explain it to myself, let alone someone else. Ugh._

"Sounds a lot like flirting to me," Hollyshine winked.

"WHAT? No," Laurelpaw cried out defensively, feeling her face get warm at once.

"You're quick to defend yourself," Hollyshine smiled brightly.

"We don't _flirt _with each other," Laurelpaw grumbled. "I really don't know how to explain it."

"So what did he say that upset you?" Hollyshine asked. "Did he tell you he has the hots for Ivypaw?"

"MOM!" Laurelpaw screamed as she turned away, feeling completely embarrassed. "Drop it."

"Sorry," Hollyshine giggled. "I had to. But seriously, what did he say?"

"He called me a bad name," Laurelpaw whispered, feeling terrible all over again.

"Did he call you the B-word?" Hollyshine asked, looking annoyed.

"No, even worse," Laurelpaw took a deep breath and decided it was now or never. "He called me an accident."

Hollyshines eyes turned from a look of slight annoyance to a look of pure terror. It looked as if her entire life flashed before her eyes, yet drained completely at the same time.

She looked as if she was struck by lightning but survived it.

Her eyes looked as though she had just witnessed a thousand deaths.

"Do you know," Hollyshine asked at last, voice thin like an elders. She was trembling, shaking uncontrollably on her thin legs.

"Yeah," Laurelpaw said, feeling bad for upsetting her mom. She leaned in closer, brushing her cheek against Hollyshines. "I'm not mad, mom. I feel very weird about it right now but I'll get over it. I wish you had told me."

"I thought you would _hate_ me," Hollyshine cried, shaking even harder. "I never wanted you to know, Laurelpaw… oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," Laurelpaw mumbled, not really knowing what to say.

"I love you," Hollyshine said, voice cracking in two places. "You and your brothers were a blessing in a storm. You turned a horrible situation into a good one in the end… You and your brothers are not _accidents. _You are the loves of my life, and I couldn't imagine living without you."

"So where's our real dad?" Laurelpaw blurted out, unable to stop the question. "He's in Shadowclan, right? What's his name?"

"He's dead, Laurelpaw," Hollyshine said, looking defeated.

"_Dead?" _Laurelpaw cried out in disbelief. "Why?"

"He launched a war for you three," Hollyshine explained, looking down. "He had Riverclan helping, too. In the battle, our old leader Fallenstar and our deputy Bluerose were killed. When this happened, I managed to escape into the forest… but he followed me. He cornered me, and Starclan knows what he would have done if Grayclaw didn't show up."

"He saved you then?" Laurelpaw asked, thinking of the cat that had raised her.

"He saved me, yes. I don't know what I'd do without him," Hollyshine confessed. "But he also lost his eyesight. It was a blessing from Starclan when he was able to see out of one eye again."

"Oh…" Laurelpaw gasped.

"Laurelpaw, I'm sorry you had to find out from Firepaw," Hollyshine said. "I'm sure it must have been really hard."

"It is, but I'm feeling a lot better about it," Laurelpaw replied, feeling better now that she had talked about it. _It's in the past, and I'm loved and cared for. Sure it sucks, but it is what it is, right?_

_But will my brothers think the same?_

"You should tell Cracklepaw and Silverpaw," Laurelpaw suggested, feeling as though it was the only reasonable idea. _Firepaw is as transparent as me, and he's best friends with them. I don't want them to find out from Firepaw too._

"I'll tell them," Hollyshine said, sighing. "It's gonna be the hardest thing I've ever done."

"I believe in you," Laurelpaw smiled.

"Thanks, baby."

* * *

><p>"The gatherings today!" Thornpaw cried out in a singsong voice. "Are you excited or what?"<p>

"I'm pretty excited, not gonna lie," Berrypaw confessed, looking at Thornpaw with shining eyes. "I wish Snakestar would hurry up and tell us who gets to go."

"Yeah, it's getting late," Redpaw put in, head tilted up to the sky. "It's already getting dark; I wonder what's taking him so long."

"I'm gonna go ask Cedarwing," Thornpaw said suddenly, noticing his mentor making her way out of Snakestars den. "It looks like she was just talking to him; she probably knows what's up."

"Hurry back with the information!" Berrypaw called after him. Thornpaw nodded and took off. _Oh you bet I will._

"Cedarwing!" Thornpaw called out. "Do you know who's going to the gathering? We're all wondering."

"Snakestar told me to tell you that you get to guard the camp tonight," Cedarwing said sadly. "I'm sorry, Thornpaw. I know how excited you were."

_Are you kidding me?!_

"Oh my god," Thornpaw rolled his eyes and sighed with frustration. _Shit. I was looking forward to seeing Laurelpaw for almost a moon! Why did Snakestar have to pick today to let me guard the camp?_

"You'll get to go next time for sure," Cedarwing said, trying to be helpful. Thornpaw snorted. _I don't want to go next time._

_I want to go tonight._

"Try to cheer up, okay?" Cedarwing said. "There's no point in being upset about it, someone's gotta do it. I'll make sure to tell you all about it when I get back."

"Thanks," Thornpaw mumbled as she walked away. _Man, this sucks so much._

_I wonder if she remembers me_

_What if she wanted to talk to me again?_

Thornpaw pretended not to see Berrypaw and Redpaw waving their tails, trying to get his attention. He didn't want to talk to anyone, and he found himself sitting in the same spot as it got darker and darker. He watched as Snakestar led his patrol out the camp entrance.

He watched the moon go higher in the sky.

He imagined Laurelpaw looking around for him.

His paws itched with annoyance, and he looked over Whitewhisker, Berrypaws mentor. She was guarding the opposite end of the camp, facing away from him. An idea suddenly crawled through his mind.

_She probably won't notice if I leave for a little bit, _Thornpaw thought, edging his way to the dirt place exit. _I'll just run over there, say a quick hello and then leave. _

_I can't wait another moon, I just can't._

Thornpaw moved as silently as he could, careful not to step on anything. He stared at the back of Whitewhiskers head for several seconds before squeezing himself out the exit, praying he wouldn't make too much noise.

_Please, Whitewhisker. Don't turn around and notice I'm gone_

_I promise I won't be long!_


	7. Old Gray

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 7: Old Gray

_a/n: This chapter contains a disturbing concept. Read at own risk_

* * *

><p><em>Are you, are you<em>

_Coming to the tree_

_Where I told you to run,_

_So we'd both be free_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met at midnight_

_In the hanging tree_

* * *

><p>Thornpaw raced through the trees, getting more stressed out by the second. Every sound in the forest sounded like an alarm, a signal that what he was doing was wrong. He wondered for the zillionth time if he should go back, slip back into the camp and guard it like he was supposed to. His paws burned with the desire to get to the gathering as fast as he could, but at the same time he was itching to stop what he was doing and turn around.<p>

_I've already come this far, _he thought, trying to reassure himself. _I might as well go through with it. I wonder if Whitewhisker has noticed my absence yet… oh no! What if she has?_

Fear at the thought alone made him stop in his tracks. He stared out into the darkening forest, feeling terrible. _It's gonna be okay, _he told himself, trying to make it so he believed it. _I'll just say a quick hello and go right back. _He started running again, forcing himself to think of nothing but good thoughts. He thought of Laurelpaw, and how happy she would be when she saw him.

_You're making me jump through rings of fire to see you, girl. I hope you're worth it._

A sudden noise distracted him, and he nearly tripped over a root. He skidded to a halt, looking around wildly. _Who's there?! _Ears perked, he listened the best he could, wondering if he was just imagining it. After several minutes of reassuring himself that he in fact was imagining things, he started to move again.

"Help!"

Thornpaw shrieked and tripped over a pile of leaves, crashing down into them in the process. He shot up as fast as he could and looked around wildly, there was no mistaking things this time.

Someone had called for help, and by the sounds of the timid voice, it was a very young cat. Thornpaw peeked around a tree, trying to find the source of the voice. _If this is a cat from Shadowclan, god help me. I'm gonna get in so much trouble… but I can't ignore a cry for help._

He cautiously moved around the tree, scared of finding a Shadowclan apprentice in fear that they would tell on him. However, after a few good moments of looking around, confusion set in.

There was no one there.

"Hello?" Thornpaw called out with all the courage he could muster. "Is someone there?"

"Help!" the little voice called again. This time Thornpaw could tell where it was coming from, and he used his paws to shove a bunch of undergrowth aside. What he saw made his throat clench up with shock and fear.

Two young kits were huddled around a she cat, lying dead on the ground.

"Oh my god," Thornpaw whispered, rushing forward." Oh my-" his voice stopped working as he touched the she cat, wondering if she was really dead. Her fur was ice cold.

"Can you help her?" one of the young kits whispered, staring up at Thornpaw. "You have to help her… she's fallen down and won't stand up!"

"Come here," Thornpaw felt as though he was choking as looked at the kit. He looked over at the other one, realizing with horror that she was dead too. The kit gave no second thought and walked over, huddling against Thornpaw. Thornpaw stroked the top of his head with a paw, not knowing what to say that would possibly be helpful.

"What happened?" he asked at last.

"We were playing," the kit said sadly. "And then Old Gray came up and started pushing her. She fell and hit her head and hasn't gotten up since… you need to help her!"

"What…" Thornpaw shook his head, feeling sick. "Who is _Old Gray? _Why was he pushing her?"

"He always pushes her," the kit shrugged, acting as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "But when she hit her head he got scared and ran away."

"What the heck…" Thornpaw felt like he was going to puke. _Who are these cats? Who's Old Gray and why was he shoving around a mother cat… what the hell is going on?_

"What happened to your sister?" Thornpaw forced himself to ask, staring at the dead kit.

"Old Gray pushed her first," the kit explained. "That's why he pushed mom so badly… she got angry and scratched him."

"I need to get you out of here," Thornpaw said, feeling very scared. "Come on, let's go. I'm going to find you help."

"We can't leave momma!" the kit cried, pulling himself away from Thornpaw. "She's hurt!"

"She's dead," Thornpaw said numbly, knowing that there was no avoiding that fact. "I'm so sorry…"

"She's…" the kit looked over at the she cat with wide eyes. "Dead?"

"Yes," Thornpaw said, feeling as though his heart was breaking. "I'm afraid your sister is too…I'm so sorry, little one."

"At least this way Old Gray can't hurt them anymore," the kit said softly, leaning up against Thornpaw again.

_What _

_The _

_Fuck._

_This is so messed up… why was "Old Gray" hurting them in the first place? Why are they out here in the middle of Shadowclan territory? I'm so confused… this kit needs help, but where do I take him? I can't take care of him… and I sure as hell can't bring him back to Shadowclan, then they'd all know I left! _

_Wait_

The answer seemed to smack Thornpaw in the side of the head. _I'll take him to the gathering, and let them notice him… someone will help him._

"I need you to come with me," Thornpaw said. "I'm going to find someone to help you."

* * *

><p>Laurelpaw looked around for the hundredth time, craning her neck around to look in every possible direction. <em>Thornpaw is here somewhere, <em>she told herself again. But she knew in her heart she was fighting denial. She angrily scratched the ground, feeling a horrible sense of frustration weighing her down like a stone.

"What's your deal?" Firepaw asked, staring at her with a weird expression on his face. "Who are you looking for?"

"No one," Laurelpaw snapped crossly, not wanting to talk to him. "Leave me alone."

"_Sheesh!" _Firepaw snorted loudly and glared at her. "You could at least _pretend _to be nice."

"I'm not in a very good mood, Firepaw," Laurelpaw mumbled. _Now I have to wait another freaking moon to see him… this is so unfair!_

"Man, I nearly wish I lost the competition so I could stay at the camp," Firepaw continued dramatically. "Then I wouldn't be stuck here with you and your rudeness."

"Then why don't you go hang out with someone else?" Laurelpaw sighed, wondering why Firepaw was hanging around her when he was complaining about it.

"Because I don't want to," Firepaw responded hotly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Laurelpaw cried. "If you don't want to hang out with me, then don't!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Firepaw snapped.

"I'm not!" Laurelpaw rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Why don't you go talk to Pinepaw, or some apprentices from different clans? If I'm bothering you so much, then leave!"

"We are hanging out right now whether we like it or not," Firepaw said in a huffy voice. "End of story."

"Oh for crying out loud-" Laurelpaw stopped talking as something caught her eye in the distance. She squinted her eyes and stared, wondering what it was. There was one single tree shaking on the other side of the gathering clearing, which didn't make any sense because it wasn't windy and all the other trees were standing still.

"I'm gonna go check something out," Laurelpaw said, interrupting Firepaw who was still ranting. "Be right back."

"I'm coming!" Firepaw insisted, looking downright annoyed about it.

"You sound like you really don't want to," Laurelpaw sighed.

"I don't," Firepaw said. "But I'm coming anyway."

"Whatever," Laurelpaw replied, getting tired of Firepaw and his confusing actions. _He acts like being around me is killing him slowly. He could leave anytime he wants, but no… he just keeps complaining. It doesn't make any sense._

They walked quickly over to the trees, curiosity growing in Laurelpaws mind. _What's in the trees? _

The tree had stopped shaking, and Laurelpaw figured that whoever was shaking it had realized that they had caught her attention. Laurelpaw cautiously stepped into the forest and looked around.

"Hello?" Firepaw called out from behind her.

"Sh!" Laurelpaw hissed over her shoulder.

"Over here!"

Laurelpaw followed the voice, which was coming from behind a giant rock. Firepaw beside her, they walked over quickly.

"What if this is a trap," Firepaw whispered suddenly. Fear shot through Laurelpaw, she hadn't thought of that. She stopped in her tracks and stared at Firepaw, realizing he had a good point.

"What do we do?" she mouthed the words. Firepaw nodded to indicate he'd handle it, and turned to the rock.

"Show yourself!" he called out, voice strong and loud. Laurelpaw forgot about her irritation towards him for a moment, admiring how confident he sounded.

"You show yourself," the voice called back.

"We're not the ones hiding behind the rock," Firepaw snapped. "Show yourself or we're leaving."

"Fine!"

Laurelpaw watched with complete disbelief as Thornpaw stepped out from behind the rock, with a tiny kit beside him.

_What the heck… what's he doing here? And why the hell was he hiding behind a rock? Who's that kit he has with him?_

_So many questions!_

"Who are you?" Firepaw asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah, who are you?" Laurelpaw put in, realizing that it would look suspicious if she didn't ask too. Thornpaw clearly picked up on what she was doing, and gave her the same look that he gave Firepaw.

"My name is Thornpaw," Thornpaw said. Laurelpaw nodded as if she was learning this for the first time.

"Why were you shaking the trees around?" Firepaw demanded, getting straight to the point. "And why are you hiding behind a rock when you should be in the clearing?"

"I'm not supposed to be here," Thornpaw explained. "I'm supposed to be in Shadowclan guarding the camp."

"Oh that makes sense then," Firepaw said sarcastically.

"Hear me out," Thornpaw said desperately. Laurelpaw stared at him, realizing something was very wrong. _He looks scared… I don't understand anything right now._

"I went for a walk because I needed some air, right?" Thornpaw said, glancing at Laurelpaw. Laurelpaws heart sped up a little; she knew what he was doing.

_He snuck out to come see me!_

"When I was walking around, I found him," Thornpaw said, nudging the kit gently. "Next to his dead mother and sister."

"Old Gray pushed them too hard," the kit piped in, clearly trying to help. Laurelpaw gasped, and Firepaw let out a squeak of alarm and surprise.

"Oh, dear," Laurelpaw whispered, completely unprepared for his words. "What happened?"

"He told me that "Old Gray" pushed them and they hit their heads," Thornpaw leaned in and whispered the words so the kit wouldn't hear. "I feel like there was something terrible going on, and I have a disturbing feeling that Old Gray is the kits dad."

"That's… sick," Laurelpaw felt nauseated. "He must be so disturbed and traumatized."

"Yeah, and I don't know what to do about it," Thornpaw said desperately. "I can't bring him back to Shadowclan, cause then I'll get in trouble. That's why I shook the tree, to get someone to come over and take him."

"Have no fear," Firepaw said before Laurelpaw could say anything. "I'll bring him straight to Swallow Star. He'll know what to do."

"Thank you," Thornpaw whispered, looking incredibly bothered. "Do it now, please… before they start doing their announcements."

"Will do," Firepaw said, motioning for the kit to join him.

"I need to go back to my clan," Thornpaw said slowly. "Thank you so much for helping me… And try to avoid mentioning it was me you saw, if you don't mind."

"We won't," Laurelpaw whispered. "Don't get caught."


	8. Family Genes

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 8: Family Genes

_You've got my eyes_

_You've got my eyes_

_You'll never be mine, but_

_You've got my eyes_

* * *

><p>"Don't get caught," Laurelpaw whispered. Thornpaw gave her a look that held so many emotions it was hard to tell where to start. It was a look of confusion and fear, mixed in with longing and sadness. Laurelpaw nodded slightly to show that she was feeling the same. <em>What a weird chain of events, <em>she thought, looking down at the little kit. _And poor little guy! What will happen to him when we bring him out there?_

"Well, standing around isn't gonna do any good to anyone," Firepaw said at last. His voice was serious and wary, no traces of sarcasm anywhere. Laurelpaw just nodded and nudged the little kit to his paws.

"Come on," she said. "We're gonna find someone to take care of you."

"I don't know any of them!" the kit shrieked as he peered through the trees at the huge gathering of cats. "There's no way I'm going to let a stranger take care of me. No sir, I won't."

Firepaw smiled slightly, and looked up at Laurelpaw. "At least he's got a sense of humor," he mouthed the words. This made Laurelpaw feel a bit better. _Maybe he's going to be okay, despite whatever terrible things may have happened._

"They won't be strangers after you spend some time with them," Firepaw explained. "Would you rather be alone by yourself?"

"No," the kit mumbled, staring at his paws. "I just keep thinking about Old Gray. I should go find him, he's gonna be so angry."

"You're never gonna see Old Gray again," Firepaw said sternly. "I'll make sure of that."

Firepaws words made the kit look terribly upset, and he shook his head over and over.

"No, no, no!" the kit cried. "I need to find Old Gray!"

"Why?" Firepaw asked after a few moments. Laurelpaw glared at him, confused on why he was making the kit talk about the horrible cat.

"Well, we need to know," Firepaw said in a defensive voice. "Don't look at me like that."

"Are you sure," the kit asked in a very quiet voice, staring up at Firepaw with scared eyes.

"Am I sure about what?" Firepaw asked.

"Are you sure you meant what you said," the kit explained. "About making sure I'll never see Old Gray again?"

"I promise," Firepaw said kindly, rubbing the kits head. "Don't ever worry about him again."

"Do you have any friends around here?" Laurelpaw asked, figuring she might as well see if there was anywhere else he could go before they announced his arrival to the gathering. The kit shook his head no, and Laurelpaw sighed.

"Old Gray was the only cat my sister and I ever knew," the kit said sadly. "Momma told me once that she used to know other cats, before Old Gray took her away."

"Why did Old Gray take her away?" Firepaw blurted out. Laurelpaw gave a hiss of frustration. _Shut up, Firepaw! It must be so hard for him to talk about._

"Old Gray used to live here, you know," the kit said, looking around. "Huh. I didn't realize that until now. I wonder if his brother is still here."

"Wait, what?" Laurelpaw asked, feeling strange suddenly. "What do you mean, he used to live here?" _Was he a part of one of the clans?_

"He told us he lived with a big group of cats," the kit said. "But he hated it because he had no friends. So he left, and he tried to get his brother to leave too. But his brother didn't want to, so he left by himself. I think that's how the story goes, anyway."

Laurelpaw stared at Firepaw, completely taken off guard. She didn't know what to say, and it was apparent Firepaw didn't either.

"Maybe I could find Old Grays brother," the kit said helpfully. "I'm sure he'd help me."

"What is your name, by the way," Firepaw broke in.

"I don't have one," the kit said simply. "Old Gray always used to tell me that I didn't deserve one."

"What the hell," Firepaw mouthed the words to Laurelpaw. "That's so _sick_."

Laurelpaw just nodded, feeling like she was going to throw up. _Old Gray sounds like he needs to take a long, long nap and never wake up. Ugh, what a sicko! This poor little cat!_

"What did your mother call you?" Firepaw asked. "She must have called you something."

"Old Gray would get mad every time she would give me a name," the kit said. "Then he'd be mean to her and give her scratches."

"Ugh," Firepaw shook his head, wincing. Laurelpaw felt sick to her stomach.

"Would you like us to give you a name?" Firepaw asked suddenly. The kit shook his head no at once. "Absolutely not. Weren't you listening? I don't deserve one."

"Old Gray was wrong," Firepaw growled. "You deserve a name, he doesn't. He's a very terrible cat and I'm sure he told you many things, and he's wrong about all of them."

"Hey, watch it," the kit said angrily. "That's my dad you're talking about."

Firepaw glanced up at Laurelpaw, with a look that said _I knew it. _Laurelpaw sighed, feeling very stressed out. _What will anyone ever do with him? He's so damaged I don't know how he's gonna live a proper life._

"Okay, well, we need to call you something," Firepaw said at last. "How about a temporary name for now?"

"I guess," the kit sighed. "You may call me Daisy."

"Daisy's a girl's name," Firepaw pointed out awkwardly.

"It's what I used to call my sister," the kit explained. Laurelpaw gave a look to Firepaw that signaled to drop it.

"Okay, Daisy," Laurelpaw said. "That is what we will call you."

"Terrific," Daisy said, looking happy with himself. "Now can we go find Old Grays brother? I'm getting hungry."

Laurelpaw didn't know what to say. _There is no way we are taking him anywhere with any relation to this Old Gray character. Not in a million years, brother or no brother._

"What's your brother's name?" Laurelpaw asked, stalling for time.

"He had a weird name, it sounded like two words mashed together," Daisy said, looking confused. "I never really understood it."

"It's a clan name," Firepaw whispered to Laurelpaw. Laurelpaw nodded grimly. _I wonder who it was... _

"Oh, I can't remember," Daisy said angrily, scratching the grass with his tiny claws. "Longtooth or something like that."

"That doesn't sound right," Firepaw said, thinking it over. "That's too silly sounding to be a name. Besides, I've never even heard of anyone called that."

"Neither have I," Laurelpaw put in. She felt strange suddenly, as if the blood in her veins were freezing into icicles. It felt like she was sitting in the bottom of a warm pond, staring up through the water at the earth above.

It was the oddest sensation, but Laurelpaw couldn't place why she was feeling it now.

"Wait, I remember now," Daisy said. "It's not Longtooth, how silly! Longtail is what I meant to say."

Laurelpaws pond turned deeper, and she felt herself sinking down and down, until her body hit the bottom of the ocean. There was something very wrong with that name, but she didn't know why.

_Longtail_

_Who the hell is that… why can't I pinpoint it?_

She looked up at Firepaw, and was startled to find him hunched over and staring at the ground like he was about to throw up.

"What's wrong?" Laurelpaw asked, feeling very alarmed. "I'm getting a really weird feeling right now… Do you know who Longtail is? I feel like I've heard that name before, but I can't remember when. Do you know anyone with that name? Do you think we heard it in an elder's story at one point?"

"How do you… not know who that is," Firepaw sounded like he choked out the words. He stared at Laurelpaw with feverish eyes.

"Who is it?" Laurelpaw demanded. "I'm asking for a reason, Firepaw! Why does that name sound so familiar? And why does it make me feel so weird, is he a bad guy like Old Gray?"

"One could say that," Firepaw mumbled, not looking at her.

"For _Starclans _sake!" Laurelpaw screamed. "What's with all the secrecy? What the heck is your problem?!"

"He's your dad, Laurelpaw," Firepaw said, looking at her with a pained expression. "Longtails the cat who raped your mom."


	9. Well, We're Screwed

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 9: Well, We're Screwed

_Baby, you're so unusual_

_Didn't anyone tell you you're supposed to_

_Break my heart, I expect you to_

_So why haven't you?_

* * *

><p>"Oh, for god's <em>sake!" <em>Laurelpaw shook her head in disgust, clearly surprising Firepaw with her reaction. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Uh," Firepaw mumbled. "What?"

"My life just gets more messed up by the day," Laurelpaw spat. "I'm so sick of hearing all this garbage!"

"I was um, expecting you to be sad," Firepaw said awkwardly.

"This is no different than me finding out about how Hollyshine got pregnant," Laurelpaw said, closing her eyes in annoyance. "Sure, it sucks. But there's nothing I can do about it, can I? Can I change the fact that Longtail has a brother? Can I go back in time? _No! _It is what it is!"

"That's a good point," Firepaw said after a few seconds. "But like… are you okay? You're kind of freaking out right now."

"Wouldn't you be too?" Laurelpaw snapped.

"Somewhat," Firepaw muttered.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked, clearly confused. "I'm having a hard time following what's going on."

"Don't worry about it," Laurelpaw said, struggling to lower her voice. "It's okay."

"I will start the gathering!"

Laurelpaw groaned as she heard her leader's voice call out loudly through the trees. She peered through the bushes into the clearing. To her dismay all the cats were looking up at the great rock, ready to listen to the announcements. _Well that's just great!_

"What do we do?" Firepaw asked, looking completely freaked out. "We can't just interrupt the gathering to talk to Swallow Star!"

"Oh yes we can," Laurelpaw hissed, completely fed up with the day's events. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>Thornpaw raced through the trees, feeling light headed to the point where it felt like he was going to pass out. <em>Why the hell did I think it would be a good idea to leave, <em>he thought angrily, jumping over a tree that had fallen to the ground. _If I was at the camp right now guarding it like I was supposed to, then none of this crap would have ever happened!_

He was approaching the camp entrance, so he slowed his sprint down to a slow walk. _I wonder if Whitewhisker noticed my absence, _he thought feverishly, feeling more stressed out with every paw step. _Oh, who am I kidding? With my luck today, she probably noticed as soon as I left and told everyone. I bet they sent out a search party too, with strict orders to kill me on sight._

_Okay that's probably a little unrealistic._

_But still, she probably noticed. I don't know why I thought I could get away with this. _

Thornpaw sighed softly as he walked through the entrance, trying to make as little noise as possible. _Time to face the music. _He moved very slowly, grimacing the entire time as he made his way into the camp.

_Shit shit shit_

_I'm freaking out right now_

When Thornpaw finally was in view of the clearing, he looked around quickly. His last sliver of hope vanished as he noticed he couldn't see Whitewhisker on the other side, where she was when he left. It felt like his neck was made of stone as he moved it around, slowly trying to figure out where she was.

"Thornpaw!"

Thornpaw nearly shrieked, jumping up as he heard Whitewhiskers stern voice behind him. He turned around, face scrunched up in a mixture of dread and stress.

"Oh," he forced out the word. "Hey."

"They'll be back soon," Whitewhisker said.

"Yeah…" Thornpaw said. His voice trailed off, and he stared at her. The look in her eyes was expressionless, and her tone was unreadable.

"So, ah," Thornpaw said, moving around like there was ants in his fur. "Everything good on your side of the camp?"

"Yep," Whitewhisker said simply. Her stony gaze didn't change, and she didn't look away. Thornpaw felt like he was gonna have a heart attack.

_Do you know? Jeez, give me some sort of signal here!_

"So," Thornpaw said at last, unable to stand another second of the painful silence. "Uh, how's it going?"

"Fine," Whitewhisker said, narrowing her eyes. She didn't look away, and sat down.

_For crying out loud_

"What's up?" Thornpaw coughed awkwardly and looked away.

"Nothing," Whitewhisker said, shrugging.

"Why are you staring at me," Thornpaw mumbled, picking at his claws.

"I need to say something," Whitewhisker said. "I'm just not sure how."

"What is it?" Thornpaw mumbled.

"Now this might sound a little odd," Whitewhisker said slowly. "And it's probably not true but I have to ask because it's been bothering me."

"Alrighty," Thornpaw whispered.

"Did you…" Whitewhisker started, breaking off for a second. "Leave the camp?"

"Nope," Thornpaw mumbled. _Oh thank Starclan._

"You sure?" Whitewhisker asked, looking at him curiously. "Cause I looked behind me at one point and you were gone."

"I had to go to the dirt place."

"That's what I figured," Whitewhisker sighed, looking away at last. "Sorry for accusing you, Thornpaw. There was just something in my gut that was telling me that you left. I had to ask, just to reassure myself that I was imagining things."

"I see," was all Thornpaw could manage. _That was the most stressful thing that I've ever had to endure. I thought she knew for sure! _

_Guess my luck hasn't run completely dry yet._

* * *

><p>"We aren't interrupting the freaking gathering," Firepaw hissed, stepping in front of Laurelpaw. "Stop walking."<p>

"Get out of my way!" Laurelpaw growled, trying to push past him. Firepaw quickly moved to where she was going to move, blocking her way.

"Move it, Firepaw!" Laurelpaw snapped as she crashed into him. Firepaw stumbled back a few steps but quickly regained himself.

"We can wait until a_fter!" _Firepaw grunted and stumbled again as Laurelpaw tried to barrel past him.

"Freaking _move!" _Laurelpaw snapped, glaring at him. Firepaw glared back, looking very angry and stressed out.

"I will not!" he hissed. Laurelpaw was at the end of her rope with Firepaw. She jumped, leaping onto him and pinning him to the ground.

"Hey!" Firepaw cried, completely surprised. "Get off me!"

"We need to deal with this _right now!" _Laurelpaw screamed, shoving her nose right up against his. She stared angrily into his eyes, trying to let him know that she was serious.

"You're really close to my face," Firepaw mumbled.

"There is no time to waste," Laurelpaw growled, ignoring him. "We need to tell Swallow Star, NOW!"

"Why?!" Firepaw sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. This annoyed Laurelpaw even more, and she shoved him farther down, pinning him with an iron grip.

"Swallow Stars not just gonna go away," Firepaw explained slowly, staring up at her. "He's still gonna be there after the gathering. He's not just gonna fall off the rock and die. We can tell him about Daisy after instead of causing a big commotion."

Laurelpaw didn't know what to say, and she felt her anger melt away. Her gaze softened, and she released her claws out of Firepaws fur.

"Well then," Firepaw coughed awkwardly.

"Oh!" Laurelpaw was so lost in thought she had completely forgotten she was on top of Firepaw still. She got off at once and sat beside him, embarrassed.

"I wasn't complaining," Firepaw winked with both eyes, a big smile stretching over his face. Despite the days unfortunate events, Laurelpaw burst out laughing.

"That's not how you wink, you idiot!" she giggled. "You're supposed to only use one eye."

"Like this?" Firepaw asked, blinking with both eyes again but way more exaggerated.

"Haha!" Laurelpaw laughed, unable to control herself. "Stop it!"

Daisy was laughing now too, and Laurelpaw stroked his little head with a paw. "He's being silly," she told him.

"I'm just kidding, I know how to wink," Firepaw said, grinning still. "I'm not stupid."

Laurelpaw smiled, happy that he cheered everyone up a little bit. She sat still, and looked up in alarm as a weird feeling struck her suddenly.

"What?" Firepaw asked, noticing the change in her expression.

"No one's talking," Laurelpaw said suddenly, feeling very cold. "The gathering started… so shouldn't we hear them talking?"

"Uh oh," Firepaw gave her a freaked out look. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Oh, shit," Laurelpaw whispered. "Do you think they stopped cause they heard us talking?"  
>"Only one way to find out," Firepaw said, face scrunched up in a look of fear and embarrassment. "Turn around and look, Laurelpaw."<p>

"You do it," Laurelpaw whispered; dread hitting her like a stone. _Oh my god… they're still not saying anything. Oh I would just die if I turned around and everyone was watching us… Why the heck were we not being quiet? _

"I can't do it," Firepaw whispered, sitting very still like a rock. "Crap, this is going to be bad."

Laurelpaw didn't say anything, and slowly, very slowly, turned around.

_We're probably just overreacting. I'm sure no one's watching us-_

"Oh!" Laurelpaw squeaked, feeling all the blood drain out of her body instantly.

Every single cat in the gathering clearing was staring through the trees at them.

"Oh, shit," Laurelpaw mumbled, ducking down instantly behind a rock. "Shit, Firepaw."

"They're watching?" Firepaw asked, looking downright embarrassed.

"Yep," Laurelpaw said slowly. "What the heck do we do now?"

"Well I don't freaking know," Firepaw mumbled. "Jeez, this sucks."

"Oh my god, we were fighting… and I was pinning you down…" Laurelpaw could hardly stand to think about it. "They all probably got the wrong idea…"

"Don't even talk about it," Firepaw interrupted. "This is too awful to think about."

"Maybe they've stopped looking now," Laurelpaw whispered. She forced herself to look out from behind the rock. To her hideous dismay, everyone was still staring. Swallow Star made a big show of waving his paw at her. Laurelpaw quickly moved back behind the rock.

"Well, we're screwed."


	10. Laurelpaw Is Not My Type

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 10: Laurelpaw Is Not My Type

_Every living thing_

_Pushed into the ring_

_Fight it out to wow the crowd_

_I guess you thought, you could just watch_

_No one's getting out_

* * *

><p>"Thunderclan!" Swallow Star called out. "We're leaving now, everyone follow me!"<p>

Laurelpaw slunk over to where her clan mates were gathered, sheepishly dragging her tail between her legs and looking at the ground. Beside her Firepaw pretty much looked the same, looking awkward as ever with the same shameful expression.

_I can't believe that just happened, _Laurelpaw thought to herself, wincing as she saw the amused smirks and angry expressions on her clan mates faces. _How are we ever going to explain ourselves?_

It was basically the biggest walk of shame Laurelpaw ever had the joy of being a part of.

As they walked past the Shadowclan group, someone whistled loudly. Laurelpaw felt her face grow hotter than the sun as she heard more than a few of them snicker and whisper.

"Guess she takes after her mom," Laurelpaw heard one of them say. It took all Laurelpaws strength to ignore them and keep walking, the scorn nearly making her lose her breath.

_You know nothing about my mother, you jerk, _Laurelpaw thought angrily. _And you know nothing about me. How dare you judge me?_

Beside her, Daisy was struggling to keep up. It was obvious he was worn out from the day's events, but thankfully he didn't let it show. _That would make things even worse if he decided to stop in the middle of the clearing. As if we need more attention drawn to us._

_Come to think of it, I don't think that's possible anyway._

By now everyone had noticed Daisy, and their amused snickering started to turn to murmurs of confusion. It seemed to take moons to walk over to Thunderclans group, and Laurelpaw wondered just how long everyone planned on staring at them.

"Alright, now that everyone's here," Swallow Star announced as Laurelpaw and Firepaw finally came into earshot. "Tigerstripe, you can lead the front of the patrol, and I'll take the back."

"Okay," Tigerstripe nodded. Laurelpaw sighed as he turned to wink at her before turning around to guide the cats out. She quickly took her spot in the line, making the sorry mistake of hoping that no one would say anything.

"_Laurelpaw and Firepaw," _Swallow Star called out in an exaggerated tone. "How about you two join me back here."

_Dammit!_

His words caused an outbreak of laughter throughout Thunderclan, and Laurelpaw was so embarrassed she couldn't even speak. She shoved her way back through the line, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"How could you do this to Ivypaw," Pinepaw hissed as Laurelpaw walked past her.

"This is all a misunderstanding," Laurelpaw whispered, glancing up quickly to meet her friend's eyes. Pinepaw was shaking her head in disgust, ears flat against her head. She looked so disappointed it made Laurelpaw want to cry.

_Everyone has the wrong idea! _

_But will they ever believe us?_

"So," Swallow Star said as Laurelpaw and Firepaw approached him. "I'm a little bit angry at the two of you right now."

"It wasn't what it looked like," Firepaw said at once, in a desperate tone. "You have to believe us!"

"I'm having a hard time believing that," Swallow Star sighed, looking completely fed up. "Considering the fact that the entire _gathering _just watched you, ah, well I don't really know what that was but it wasn't appropriate."

"We were _fighting," _Laurelpaw said.

"Didn't look like fighting if you ask me," Swallow Star mumbled. "Or if you ask anyone in the entire damn forest."

"It's true!" Firepaw insisted. He nodded his head at Daisy. "We found this kit, and then we started arguing-"

"Cause I got mad at him," Laurelpaw cut in, realizing with a hideous dread that their story sounded ridiculous. "So I attacked him and wouldn't let him up."

"Right," Swallow Star said. Laurelpaw sighed, frustration making her want to yell and stomp her paws on the ground. Swallow Star didn't sound as if he believed them at all.

"You have to believe us," Firepaw cried, looking equally frustrated.

"Yeah!" Laurelpaw put in. "Me and Firepaw would never do… that. We _hate _each other!"

"Yeah, ew," Firepaw said. After Laurelpaw said this, Swallow Star sighed loudly and stopped walking. He looked over at Laurelpaw with the biggest look of disbelief she had ever seen.

"I'm not an idiot," he snapped.

"W-what?" Laurelpaw stammered.

"You two don't _hate _each other," Swallow Star said as if that was the stupidest concept he'd ever heard. "I don't really know who you two think you're fooling with all the arguing you do, but a blind kit could see that hate is one emotion you _definitely _don't have for one another."

"I think they love each other," Daisy piped in, clearly trying to be helpful. Swallow Star laughed shortly. "See? There you go."

"WHAT?" Firepaw yelped. "Are you serious? Hell no-"

"We don't _love _each other," Laurelpaw said at the same time, completely startled. "That's completely ridiculous and-"

"_Whatever," _Swallow Star interrupted. "Love, hate, _whatever. _It's not really my business, but now sadly thanks to your um, _episode _at the gathering, everyone's going to be in your business whether you like it or not."

"But we didn't-" Laurelpaw protested.

"Laurelpaw is not my _type!" _Firepaw cried.

"Wait, what?" Laurelpaw snapped, getting distracted for a second. "What do you mean; I'm not your _type? _That's so rude! Are you saying I'm not good enough?"

"Well I'm not exactly yours!" Firepaw snapped, glaring at her. "I've heard what you've said about me!"

"We've already _talked _about this!" Laurelpaw yelled. "Drop it or-"

"This is exactly what I'm freaking talking about," Swallow Star said loudly, stopping the argument at once. "Just shut up, both of you. I don't know how I'm going to deal with this because quite frankly, this kinda thing isn't really covered in the warrior code. And it shouldn't be, because this kind of thing shouldn't happen at all!"

"We're sorry," Laurelpaw said quietly. "Seriously, Swallow Star. We're sorry."

"Yeah," Firepaw put in, agreeing. "We didn't mean to make a scene… and I know you don't believe us. But it wasn't what everyone thinks it was, and I'll argue that until I die."

"They were just fighting about who was going to take care of me," Daisy said sadly. Laurelpaw jumped, she was so focused on the conversation that she almost forgot the little cat was there. A sudden thought then struck her, and hope sparked in her heart once again.

_Swallow Star doesn't believe us. _

_But he might believe Daisy!_

Laurelpaw looked up hopefully at Swallow Stars face, wondering if he had heard the kit. It was apparent he did, because he looked feverish and ready to give up. He stopped walking, and sat down at the grass.

"Alright," he said at last. "How about you explain this to me from the beginning? I haven't even addressed where you found this kit yet. Just tell me what happened and I'll do my best to understand."

"Oh, thank you," Laurelpaw sighed with relief. _This is our chance!_

"It started out fine," Firepaw began. "We were sitting with the rest of the cats, waiting for the gathering to start. Then we noticed one of the trees shaking, which was weird because it wasn't windy and none of the others were moving. So we went over to investigate…"

_Meanwhile…_

Thornpaw was finally beginning to fall asleep when he felt someone poke him. _Oh, come on! _He thought angrily. _I've been up all night, who honestly needs to talk to me right now? Just go away._

He felt the poke again, and whispers.

"Dude, Thornpaw," it was Berrypaws voice. "Wake up."

"I was almost asleep," Thornpaw hissed, getting up against his will. "I didn't sleep all night and I wanted to sleep in and WAIT A MINUTE, IT'S STILL THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING NIGHT!"

"Sh," Berrypaw hissed, looking around at the dark Shadowclan camp. "You're gonna wake everyone up!"

"Oh, like you just did to me?" Thornpaw hissed, getting very annoyed at a fast rate. "What do you guys want that couldn't wait till morning?"

"We just got back from the gathering," Redpaw said quickly, looking excited. "And oh my god, you won't believe what happened."

"I wish you'd been there," Berrypaw said in a rush. "Trust me, Thornpaw. Cats are going to remember this one, that's for sure."

"Why?" Thornpaw suddenly felt very uneasy, and he wondered if the kit he had found had something to do with it.

_I was at the gathering; well, for a little while. I wonder what happened…_

"You know that girl from Thunderclan we met a few moons ago?" Berrypaw asked, eyes shining. "That pregnant apprentice's daughter?"

"Laurelpaw," Thornpaw said quietly. "Yeah, why?" _Oh shit_

"She was like, _doing it _with some other cat in the trees," Berrypaw cried in a mixture of disgust and fascination. "AND EVERYONE SAW!"

"THE ENTIRE GATHERING," Redpaw yelled.

_Oh what the freaking hell_

"That doesn't sound right," Thornpaw scoffed. But he felt the blood drain from his body slightly, and his legs felt weak. "Why would she be doing that?"

"Well I don't know," Berrypaw sighed. "Thornpaw, we were expecting you to at least laugh or something. Why do you look so stricken?"  
>"I just don't understand," Thornpaw shook his head. He was very confused and upset to hear this information, and he struggled to accept it.<p>

_I thought she liked me… I don't believe them, there must have been a misunderstanding._

_But why would they lie about something like that?  
><em>"Sheesh, Thornpaw. You're no fun when you're tired," Berrypaw rolled his eyes. "Come on, Redpaw. Let's go get something to eat before we go to sleep."

"See you in the morning," Redpaw said kindly, clearly trying to make up for Berrypaws rudeness. "Sorry for waking you up."

"Goodnight," Thornpaw mumbled, lying back down. His thoughts were spinning, and he didn't know what to feel. Part of him didn't believe his friends at all. _I know Laurelpaw, and that just seems like something she'd never do, _he thought. _She's sweet… and kind! Definitely not the type to go do it in the trees when there's a gathering going on. And who's the cat they said she was with? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!_

Thornpaw was starting to feel sleepy again, and he shut his eyes. He was content with his thoughts, just because everyone else believed something didn't mean he had to too.

But there was still that feeling in the back of his mind, the feeling that his friends were right.

He thought of Laurelpaws mother, and how she got pregnant as an apprentice. It wasn't her fault, but what if that affected how Laurelpaw acted?

_What if she feels like she has to follow her mother's paw steps?_

_Would she really do such a thing at a gathering?_

_Ugh, I don't know what to believe_


	11. He Hates (Loves) You

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 11: He Hates (Loves) You

_Okay, we had a fight, so what_

_Don't act like you've never done me wrong, hold up_

_So yeah I got mad, and called a tow truck_

_And it ended up costing you four hundred and fifty four bucks_

_But um, you shouldn't have yelled like that_

_You know me; you know I'll be yelling right back_

_You know what I'm about and you know where my minds at_

_And if you wanna disrespect me then I'm gonna fight back_

* * *

><p>Hollyshine waited impatiently, staring over at the camp entrance for what felt like the zillionth time. <em>I can't wait to hear how the gathering went! <em>She thought. _I don't know why it's taking them so long to get back… The moon is going down and it's gonna be morning before you know it._

Then the bushes around the entrance started to move, and Hollyshine pricked her ears. _Finally! _She watched as Tigerstripe walked in first, followed by Pinepaw and a few others.

_I wonder if Laurelpaw had a good time!_

She smiled as her daughter finally made her way in last, next to Firepaw and Swallow Star. Her heart dropped slightly as she saw the sheepish look on Laurelpaws face, and the way Firepaw looked like he was going to cry.

_Why do they look so weird? And wait… who's that kit that's with them?_

She ran forward at once, curiosity making her move quickly.

"Hey, Laurelpaw!" she called out. "How was the gathering? Did you have fun?"

She was stopped quickly by Swallow Star, who warily stepped in front of her. Hollyshine tried to move past him, but he stood his ground.

"What the heck are you doing?" Hollyshine snapped, wondering what was up with him. "You're in the way! I want to go talk to my daughter."

"Talk to her in the morning, Hollyshine," Swallow Star sighed, looking very fed up with everything. "I need to talk to you before you talk to her. The gathering took an odd turn for the worse."

* * *

><p>"Can I talk to you," Laurelpaw begged, following Pinepaw into the apprentices den. "Please, Pinepaw! I need to explain myself!"<p>

"I think the situation pretty much explains itself, don't ya think?" Pinepaw laughed rudely and shoved past her, making Laurelpaw claw the ground in frustration and worry. _Ugh, she's gonna tell Ivypaw all the wrong things! _She thought angrily. _She likes Firepaw so much… when she hears about what happened, she's gonna hate me! _

"Pinepaw," Laurelpaw pleaded, walking in after her into the den. "I need to tell you what _really _happened."

"Oh, hey guys," Ivypaw said in a sleepy voice, looking up from her nest and yawning. "Wow, it's late. How was the gathering?"

"It was a night to remember," Pinepaw growled, glaring hatefully at Laurelpaw. "Do you want to tell her or should I?"

_Oh my god, _Laurelpaw felt her legs go weak and she suddenly felt dizzy. "Pinepaw… please listen to me-"

"What's going on?" Ivypaw asked, her blue eyes growing wide with alarm. "Did something happen?"

"You better believe it," Pinepaw smirked, walking over to stand by Ivypaws side.

"There was a misunderstanding-" Laurelpaw started, in a sorry attempt to explain herself before Pinepaw could intervene.

"Laurelpaw and Firepaw got caught _doing it_ in the trees," Pinepaw cut her off. "And the whole gathering saw."

The silence that met her words was hideous. Laurelpaw involuntarily lowered her head in shame, feeling like the world's biggest loser.

"What the hell," Ivypaw whispered. Laurelpaw looked up sadly, knowing that there was no hope for her to explain what really happened. But she couldn't help herself from trying again anyway.

"It wasn't what it looked like," she said, but her words were hollow. Ivypaw and Pinepaw stared at her with disgust, shaking their heads. Ivypaw looked downright stricken.

"How could you," Ivypaw said after a long moment of silence. Her sadness was replaced with anger, and her whole body trembled. She glared at Laurelpaw as if she was about to attack her. "How _could _you, Laurelpaw! You _know _I'm in love with him!"

"You freaking backstabber," Pinepaw hissed.

"You stupid _bitch!" _Ivypaw screamed, lunging forward. Laurelpaw cried out in alarm and dodged quickly to the side, getting very freaked out.

"We all need to calm down!" Laurelpaw cried, backing up in fear. Ivypaw snarled and dived at her again, this time Laurelpaw had no time to move out of the way. Ivypaw bowled her over, scratching and screaming. Laurelpaws back pressed against the den wall, and she clawed back defensively.

"I _LOVE _him!" Ivypaw screamed, slicing angrily. Her claws pierced Laurelpaws nose and she screamed. "YOU _KNEW T_HIS, LAURELPAW! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, YOU DON'T EVEN _LIKE _HIM!"

"I _didn't,_" Laurelpaw hissed, getting angry. _They're calling me a bad friend? Ha! Some friends they are, they won't even listen to me! They won't even give me a chance! _

"You don't even like him and you go screw him at a gathering, of all places," Ivypaw snarled, still going strong with the scratching. "You idiot slut."

"Don't _CALL ME THAT_," Laurelpaw screamed, a fierce anger building up inside her like a storm. She felt a new energy, and she stopped clawing back defensively.

This time Laurelpaw lashed out in an attempt to hurt her back.

Her claws connected with Ivypaws face, drawing blood from one side right under her eye. Ivypaw recoiled slightly, but it lasted for only a heartbeat. With a blood curling scream she rushed forward, knocking Laurelpaw into the wall of the den again. Laurelpaw was dimly aware of the groaning sounds the once stable wall was making. It wouldn't take much more for it to give way, but there was no time to dwell on that fact. Ivypaw grabbed her by the neck and knocked her head against it painfully.

"GET OFF ME!" Laurelpaw hissed, kicking back with her hind legs. This sent Ivypaw flying across the den, and she crashed into the opposite wall. Pinepaw rushed over to help her up, and Laurelpaw used this slight time allotment to regain herself and move away from the wall.

"Firepaw _hates _you, you know," Ivypaw said. Laurelpaw felt as though she had hit her again, even though she didn't move. The word "hate" made her feel sick, and she wondered why Ivypaw was saying such things.

"You think he likes you, but he doesn't," Ivypaw continued, smiling as she realized she had hurt Laurelpaw. "You think he's just teasing when you two fight, but he's not kidding around. Want to know what he called you last time we spoke?"

"How about we stop now," Pinepaw said, staring at Ivypaw with a worried look. "Ivypaw, I know you're mad but please, don't tell her what-"

"He said you're a w_orthless," _Ivypaw stepped forward slowly; spitting each word like it was poison. _"Pathetic,_ good for nothing, _ACCIDENT."_

"He never said that," Laurelpaw whispered. Now she was the one trembling. "He never said those things."

"Hey, what's going on?"

Laurelpaw winced as she saw Silverpaw poke his head in the den. He looked terribly awkward and freaked out.

"So, can we stop the screaming and fighting now?" Silverpaw mumbled. "Cause the rest of us want to come in and sleep and-"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Ivypaw screamed. Silverpaw didn't need to be asked twice and left at once. Laurelpaw felt terrible at the thought of Firepaw saying those things about her, and she felt an odd twist in her heart. It was scary, because it was a feeling Laurelpaw had never felt before. Not even when Hollyshine had told her about how she was born.

No, this was different.

Laurelpaws heart felt like it was on fire, melting her insides.

Leaving gray, dirty ashes in the shape of Firepaws face.

"I'm never talking to you again," Ivypaw said. Laurelpaw was aware of how her tone had changed, not quite as angry. It sounded almost apologetic, as if Ivypaw realized that she had crossed the invisible line. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else but stopped as Swallow Stars angry face looked in.

"YOU THREE, GET IN MY DEN, _NOW," _He yelled furiously before leaving. Laurelpaw sighed, only realizing how they must have looked. Blood was everywhere, staining all three of their pelts and the ground. _And he probably heard us all screaming too. Ugh, how much trouble can I honestly get in today? _

They all left the den without a word. As Laurelpaw padded across the clearing to Swallow Stars den, a huge gust of wind blew through the air. There was a huge crash behind her, and Laurelpaw turned around in alarm.

The apprentices den had collapsed to the ground.


	12. Getting in Trouble

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 12: Getting in Trouble

_When my heart just bursts like a glass balloon_

_I let it fly to high and it shattered too soon_

_I was the wrong damn girl _

_In the wrong damn room_

_I broke my glass balloon_

* * *

><p>Laurelpaws heart dropped as she stepped inside Swallow Stars den, expecting it to be empty. Sadly, that wasn't the case whatsoever. Hollyshine, Grayclaw, Fuzzwhisker, Leaftail, Tigerstripe, Firepaw, and Ivypaws mother Applefur all sat waiting. It was a depressing sight; each and every one of them looked angry and disappointed. Laurelpaw could barely look at her mother, Hollyshines face was twisted with a look of sadness and disbelief. Her step father Grayclaw looked confused and awkward. Firepaw stared at the ground, hunched over and facing the wall. His father Fuzzwhisker had an expression that one would have when they were just informed they were diagnosed with greencough. Leaftail looked concerned but not as angry, and Tigerstripe mirrored her expression. Ivypaws mother on the other hand, had her eyes narrowed into slits.<p>

"Are you three okay?" Swallow Star asked sternly, glaring at the girls. "Do you want to see the medicine cat before we talk?"

"I'm fine," Laurelpaw whispered, not meeting his eyes. The cuts on her face and body burned like lightning but she dared not let it show.

"What about you two?" Swallow Star snapped, glaring at Ivypaw and Pinepaw who were huddled next to each other in fear. Despite the terrible situation, Laurelpaw had to struggle not to scoff. _You're not looking so tough now, are you Ivypaw? _

"We're fine," Pinepaw said when Ivypaw remained silent, her voice timid and crackly. "Can I start out by saying that I'm sorry-"

"I will start," Swallow Star hissed, pacing around the den angrily. "You do not have the _right _to explain yourself before I say what I'm about to say."

Laurelpaw felt herself trembling, and she struggled to stay strong even though she knew they were all about to get ripped apart. _Hold your head high, hold your head high._

"First off," Swallow Star hissed. "You three are going to fix that damn den before tomorrow morning. I don't care if you're up all night. Until then, Silverpaw, Cracklepaw and Firepaw will share accommodations in the warriors den."

"Okay," Laurelpaw said, struggling not to sound meek.

"Secondly," Swallow Star said, looking as if he was getting angrier the more he spoke. "You three are all confined to the camp for a _moon. _No exceptions, no freaking way. Never in my life have I seen such terrible apprentices. Not since I was one, and I was pretty terrible. But you three, oh you're on a different level than me and my friends were. What the hell were you possibly thinking, fighting like that in the camp? And with each other, I thought you were best friends!"

"It's Laurelpaws fault," Ivypaw said in a weak voice. Laurelpaw felt like her bones had turned to liquid. She took a deep breath and faced her leader, fully expecting him to scream and yell. And that's exactly what he did.

However, he didn't yell at her.

"If you think you can honestly blame this poor little girl for what just happened, you are _very_ mistaken," Swallow Star hissed directly in Ivypaws face. "I know _exactly _what happened. I _heard _you."

"But-" Ivypaw broke in, sounding very frightened. "She-"

"You _attacked_ her," Swallow Star hissed menacingly. "You _both _did. Ganged up on her like a pack of dogs. She fought to defend herself. _Look _at her, Ivypaw and Pinepaw. She's scratched up to bits."

"I can't believe you would act like this," Applefur stepped in, glaring at her daughter. "I never thought you would go so far to hurt your best friend."

"She's not my best friend," Ivypaw whispered, staring at the ground. "Not anymore."

"_On to my third point," _Swallow Star said loudly. "And Laurelpaw, I'm speaking to you now too. You're a_pprentices. _You need to stop focusing on tom cats and start concentrating on your hunting and training. You have plenty of time to find a mate when you're warriors. I knew that you three all had little crushes or whatever you she cats call them, and I let it slide. But now, it's become a very big problem. Big enough to turn friends into enemies, and this is not how it's supposed to work."

"I understand," Laurelpaw said, feeling a little better. _It looks like he's calmed down a little… thank Starclan._

"Fourth point," Swallow Star announced. Laurelpaw inwardly groaned, not knowing what else he could possibly bring up. _How many points does he have? _

"We are all aware of what happened at the gathering," Swallow Star continued. Laurelpaw suddenly got a terrible acid reflex, and it felt like she was full of air. She couldn't even look at Hollyshine and Grayclaw. _Oh my god_

"There was a big misunderstanding between Firepaw and Laurelpaw," Swallow Star said. He suddenly turned to glare at Pinepaw and Ivypaw again. "Which by the way, you would have known was a freaking _misunderstanding _if you had let Laurelpaw explain."

"Yeah," Ivypaw whispered, looking very crestfallen and unhappy. Despite how brutally they had fought earlier, Laurelpaw couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for her. _Swallow Star's really laying it on thick._

"By the way," Swallow Star said abruptly, turning to Laurelpaw. "Daisy is safe and happy in the nursery. But we'll talk more about that later."

"Glad to hear it," Laurelpaw whispered.

"Anyways," Swallow Star sighed. "Since we're all clear that it was a mix up, I'll move onto my fifth point."

_Sheesh, again with the points!_

"For this one, I'm speaking to Ivypaw, Pinepaw and Firepaw," Swallow Star continued. Laurelpaw breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is very hard for me to say," Swallow Star said, looking as if he was in pain. He gave a sad glance at Laurelpaw, making her wonder where he was going with this.

"Okay, here we go," Swallow Star said, looking as if he wasn't ready to go at all. "For the second time this season, it's come to my attention of a certain word that's been used in a hurtful context. Firepaw, you know what I'm talking about."

"I know," Firepaw mumbled, still staring at the ground. Laurelpaw looked at him as he mumbled his response, thinking again of what Ivypaw had said. Her heart clouded with sadness, and she wondered why she cared so much about what Firepaw thought of her. _Does he really hate me that much?_

"Actually, you know what," Swallow Star said suddenly, looking over at all the parents. "This isn't just for the apprentices. This goes out to the entire clan."

Laurelpaw had a sinking feeling on where this was going and didn't like it one bit.

_Oh, this is going to be so embarrassing_

"The word ACCIDENT will _NOT _be used in my clan," Swallow Star said furiously, spitting the word and pacing again. He looked so angry and hurt that Laurelpaw suddenly didn't feel embarrassed anymore. _He's sticking up for me… _

"I don't know how anyone could _possibly_ feel good about calling Laurelpaw this word," Swallow Star hissed. "She is not an ACCIDENT. She is a blessing to our clan. She is _meant _to be here. The next cat who tells her otherwise will be dealing with me personally, and trust me. It will _not _mean a good time. Does everyone understand this?"

"Swallow Star," Firepaw said quietly, voice timid and crackling. Laurelpaw looked over at him, surprised to see his eyes shiny as if he were going to cry. "I already said I was sorry-"

"I know, Firepaw," Swallow Star interrupted, holding up a paw. "You were fighting for god knows what reason and you didn't think it would be hurtful."

"Just wanted to clear that up," Firepaw whispered, taking his position in staring quietly at the ground once again.

"I think I've said what I've needed to say," Swallow Star said after thinking for a second. "Does anyone have anything they would like to address?"

"I do," Hollyshine said, standing up at once. "Laurelpaw, I want you to know that you are very loved. By all of us, especially Grayclaw and I. You are a beautiful young she cat, and the past little while has been very hard on you. I want you to know that we're here for you."

Laurelpaw fidgeted awkwardly, feeling not very beautiful at all with all her scratches and blood caked to her fur.

"Thanks, mom," she said quietly. "I appreciate it."

"Do you two have anything you'd like to say to Laurelpaw?" Swallow Star asked sternly, looking over at Pinepaw and Ivypaw again.

"I'm sorry," Ivypaw whispered with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry, Laurelpaw."  
>"Me too," Pinepaw said miserably. "We're the worst friends in the world."<p>

"I just got so _jealous!" _Ivypaw wailed, sinking down to the floor as if she had given up on standing. "And I _lied, _Laurelpaw. I just wanted to hurt you; Firepaw never said any of those things."

"Why wouldn't you let me explain myself?" Laurelpaw asked, feeling as if a weight had left her shoulders. _Thank Starclan… Firepaw doesn't hate me_

"Because," Ivypaw said in the most miserable voice Laurelpaw had ever heard. "I couldn't control my anger. When Pinepaw told me what happened, it just pushed me over the edge. All I saw was red. You just don't get it, Laurelpaw."

"Why not?" Laurelpaw mumbled, wishing that Ivypaw would speak to her in private instead of announcing her feelings in front of all the warriors.

"I didn't just get jealous when I heard about the gathering," Ivypaw continued, voice sad. "I'm jealous of you _all the time. _Because Firepaw-"

"Alright, that's enough," Firepaw snapped, getting up at once. "Swallow Star, may I leave?"

"Yes," Swallow Star said without even thinking about it. "Thank you for taking part in this discussion."

"Don't mention it," Firepaw mumbled awkwardly. He quickly left, not looking at anyone.

"Okay, I think I'm done," Swallow Star said. His expression softened as he looked over at Ivypaw and Pinepaw. The two she cats looked beaten down and defeated. The warriors took this as a dismissal so they stood up to leave, filing out one by one. Hollyshine leaned down to rub her face against Laurelpaws as she walked by.

"I love you, baby," she whispered.

"I love you too, mom," Laurelpaw replied. She noticed Grayclaw looked a bit dejected that she didn't acknowledge him, so she ran up quickly and pressed her face against his too.

"And you too, Grayclaw," she said into his fur. Grayclaw nuzzled her, purring, before breaking away to follow Hollyshine out of the den.

Now it was just Ivypaw, Pinepaw, Laurelpaw and Swallow Star.

"Can we go too?" Pinepaw asked, still sounding sadder than ever. Laurelpaw suddenly realized something, and she felt sad for her. _She's so in love with Swallow Star, _she thought to herself. _And this is the longest conversation she's ever had with him… but he spent the whole time yelling and screaming at her._

"I actually wanted to speak with you three alone now," Swallow Star said, his voice gentle this time. "I know I was pretty mean just now, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," Pinepaw said dejectedly.

"I had to make sure you understood the consequences of your actions," Swallow Star said. "But now I'm fairly sure you have learned your lesson. I don't think I'll ever have to yell at you like that again."

"It was so s_cary," _Pinepaw cried. Laurelpaw felt sad all over again, because she was actually _crying. _

"It's hard being a leader sometimes," Swallow Star whispered, looking down. "Please don't cry, Pinepaw."

"You hate me," Pinepaw sniffled, rubbing her face with a paw.

"I don't _hate _you," Swallow Star said. "Not at all. Was I impressed by you today? No, but that doesn't mean I don't like you, Pinepaw."

"Really," Pinepaw whispered, looking up. Swallow Stars eyes were full of kindness now as he looked at her.

"I like you very much," he said at last. Pinepaw brightened considerably, and stood up a little straighter.

"How about we go rebuild the den now?" Laurelpaw piped in, hoping to stop a possible awkward silence. "It's getting light out and we should probably get started before it's morning."

"Okay," Ivypaw replied. "So… are we okay?"

"Yeah, I don't want to stop being friends," Pinepaw sighed. "I feel so bad, Laurelpaw. Let us make it up to you!"

"Hm," Laurelpaw pretended to think about it. "I know!"

"What?" Ivypaw asked desperately, clearly wanting to make amends the best she could.

"You could get me some cobwebs," Laurelpaw said, looking down at the scratches that were still bleeding. "Before I bleed to death in Swallow Stars den."

"TO THE MEDICINE CATS DEN!" Ivypaw cried out happily, running over to Laurelpaw and pressing up against her side. Pinepaw ran up and stood on Laurelpaws other side, laughing. They walked out of the den, side by side and covered in blood.

_They can be horrible at the worst of times_

_But I'm happy we're friends again!_


	13. Missing Pieces

Apprentice and Pregnant 2

Chapter 13: Missing Pieces

_Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_

_But your blade it might be too sharp_

_I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_

_I may snap and I move fast_

_But you won't see me fall apart_

_'Cause I've got an elastic heart_

* * *

><p>It had been quite a few days since the gathering and Laurelpaw was happy to find that everyone had calmed down quite a bit. Her scratches were healing nicely, along with Pinepaws and Ivypaws. The apprentices den was rebuilt, after a terribly long night of work. Laurelpaw shuddered as she remembered falling asleep that night just when everyone was getting up.<p>

In other news, Swallow Star had accepted Daisy to be raised in Thunderclan. He had his naming ceremony a few days ago, and seemed to be fitting in nicely.

_Fitting in or not, _Laurelpaw thought to herself sadly. _It's only a matter of time before something happens. He has so many terrible memories and has seen so many horrible things… it's going to catch up to him eventually._

_And that really scares me._

Swallow Star had also given Daisy the name Whitepaw, given the fact that he couldn't grow up with a girl's name. _Daisy, well, Whitepaw was so heartbroken, _Laurelpaw thought as she remembered the look on the little cats face when Swallow Star had said he had to change his name. _But at least Swallow Star took his feelings into consideration, given that daisies have white petals._

"What are you doing?"

Laurelpaw was pulled from her thoughts as Firepaws annoyed voice rang in her ears. She turned to see him standing there, looking irritated for no good reason.

"What do you want?" Laurelpaw snapped, suddenly feeling angry because Firepaw was too. "And stop looking at me like that."

"Your brothers are out hunting," Firepaw sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. "So I guess I have to hang out with you now."

Laurelpaw looked around, noticing Pinepaw and Ivypaw chatting a little ways away. Her mother (and Firepaws mentor) was sitting in a group with Leaftail and Fuzzwhisker, while Tigerstripe was just padding out of the medicine cats den.

"There are plenty of cats for you to hang out with," Laurelpaw cried. "Instead of being rude to me, go do something else! Go play a game with Ivypaw and Pinepaw or something. Or go ask Hollyshine to take you out."

"Nope," Firepaw shook his head simply, as if that wasn't even an option. "We're hanging out now, as much as I don't want to."

"You're not making any sense," Laurelpaw sighed loudly, rolling her eyes like Firepaw just did. She stopped mid roll and stood rigid. _Oh jeez, _she thought to herself. _I hadn't realized until now how similar we act._

"Why do you look so angry?" Firepaw asked.

"Cause _you_ look angry!" Laurelpaw replied, wondering what the point of all this was. "You a_lways _look annoyed when you talk to me."

"That's cause you annoy me," Firepaw said in an exaggerated voice. Laurelpaw didn't reply, and noticed that Firepaws eyes were sparkling now and he didn't look annoyed anymore.

"Hey!" Pinepaw called out from where she was sitting with Ivypaw. "Laurelpaw, Firepaw! Come over here!"

"Pretend you didn't hear them," Firepaw whispered, shuffling around so his back was turned to them. Laurelpaw stared at him, wondering why he was so weird.

"Why don't we go hang out with them?" She offered. "It's not like we're doing anything anyway. And none of us can leave the camp still except for you."

"You just don't listen, do you?" Firepaw shook his head in disbelief, looking annoyed all over again. "Me and you are hanging out right now."

"Well, _I'm _going to go see what they're up to," Laurelpaw snapped, glaring at him. "I don't need to sit here and fight with you all day. I have better things to be doing with my time, thank you very much."

"Well, so do I!" Firepaw cried. "Go then, go see them!"

Laurelpaw looked over at Ivypaw and Pinepaw who were still staring at her. _Well, guess I'm going to go hang out with them now. I wonder what we're going to do. I wonder what Firepaws going to do when I get up and walk over there. Maybe he'll go hang out with his dad, or go find my brothers._

Laurelpaw found herself not moving at all.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Firepaw snapped.

"Why haven't _you _left yet?" Laurelpaw fired back without missing a beat.

"Do you want to go hang out by the pond?" Firepaw asked in an angry voice.

"I do!" Laurelpaw said, matching his tone.

"Fine, let's go then!" Firepaw shook his head and starting walking away in the direction of the pond just outside the camp.

"Fine!" Laurelpaw hissed, following him.

"_Fine!"_

* * *

><p>"I'm glad things have finally started to settle down," Hollyshine said, feeling happy that the tension in the camp has seemed to die down considerably. "That was a rough week."<p>

"Tell me about it," Swallow Star mumbled, looking tired. "I'm happy the apprentices are all friends again. Who knew Ivypaw could be so vicious?"

"Well, it's no secret that she likes Firepaw," Hollyshine replied, looking over to where her apprentice was sitting with Laurelpaw. "Also, it's no secret that he likes my daughter a little bit."

"A _little _bit?" Tigerstripe scoffed, speaking with his mouth full of food. "More like a lot, if you ask me."

Hollyshine didn't reply, noticing that the two apprentices were arguing loudly as they walked together side by side.

"All they do is fight," Swallow Star snickered, looking over at them as well. "But they're always together."

"Well, I support their relationship," Hollyshine said simply. _Maybe if Laurelpaw focuses on Firepaw, she can forget all about that Shadowclan tom cat she mentioned a few moons ago! _

"How are you feeling, Hollyshine?" Leaftail spoke, looking over at her sister curiously. "Are you stressed out at all?"

"A little," Hollyshine admitted, feeling a little wary. "After what happened at the gathering… and the attack on Laurelpaw, I guess I'm feeling a little rattled still."

"Not to mention the arrival of Daisy," Tigerstripe put in.

"Whitepaw," Swallow Star corrected.

"Yes, Whitepaw," Tigerstripe said quickly. "I'm feeling a little strange about that whole situation. Firepaw told us that he found him at the gathering… but something just isn't adding up. Why was he out there alone, and where's his mother?"

"Whitepaw told me his mother was dead," Swallow Star said slowly. "He seems really numb about it, and I don't blame him. That much have been so traumatic, and I don't think he knows how to process it or deal with it."

"So we're going to let him stay in Thunderclan?" Hollyshine asked, feeling slightly off. _He's right, something isn't adding up. There's definitely a piece missing in the puzzle somewhere, but I can't figure out why. And since Firepaw and Laurelpaw were the ones who found him, I can't shake the feeling that they know a little more to the story._

_Something that they haven't told the rest of us._

"Yes, he will be raised as a Thunderclan apprentice," Swallow Star nodded his head yes. "He's almost at his sixth moon, and I'm pretty sure we're all aware of Thunderclans lack of apprentices lately. He'll be a fine addition."

"Has Whitepaw told you anything else?" Tigerstripe asked. "About where he lived, or anything at all?"

"He did," Swallow Star said, sounding bothered. He flattened his ears slightly, and Hollyshine wondered what was triggering the reaction. "But he said he didn't know, which I find very odd. And he kept bringing up the name 'Old Gray.'"

"Old Gray?" Leaftail said, narrowing her eyes. "That's odd. Maybe that's the name of his father."

"Given what Whitepaws told me, I'm hoping with all my heart that Old Gray isn't his dad," Swallow Star said. "From the sounds of it, Old Gray sounds just awful."

"Why?" Hollyshine asked.

"Oh, just the way Whitepaw talks about him," Swallow Star replied. "He'll tell me how Old Gray shoved around his mother and sister before he died. And he mentioned that Old Gray used to give him scratches, which is a huge red flag."

"That's terrible," Hollyshine said sadly. _That kind of violent behavior reminds me of Longtail. Ugh… how many monsters are in this forest?_

"Swallow Star, you mentioned that there is a shortage of apprentices," Leaftail broke in suddenly, changing the topic. Hollyshine looked over to her, noticing that she had a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yeah, we need more kits," Swallow Star said, looking confused on why Leaftail was bringing it up again.

"Well," Leaftail said, taking a deep breath and looking over at Tigerstripe. "We've got some news to share with you."

Hollyshine cried out happily, realizing that her sister was about to announced that she was pregnant. _Hooray! How exciting!_

"We're expecting kits," Tigerstripe blurted out, looking proud and happy. Leaftail glared at him playfully. "I wanted to be the one who told them!"

"It just came out!" Tigerstripe smiled, looking down at his chest. Hollyshine felt happy for them. _Leaftail and Tigerstripe are going to be wonderful parents._

"How long have you known?" Swallow Star asked, looking less wary and more excited.

"A little while now," Leaftail replied. "We didn't want to tell anyone until we were sure."

"Well, congratulations," Swallow Star said. "That's really awesome, guys."

"I'll admit, I'm pretty nervous because we're still so young," Leaftail confessed, looking unsure of herself suddenly.

"I understand that," Hollyshine mumbled.

"Oh, sorry, Hollyshine," Leaftail squeaked, realizing she had said the wrong thing.

"It's fine," Hollyshine smiled, brushing it off. _It's funny, Leaftail is still very young and she'll be having kits soon… meanwhile I'm the same age and already have three kits that are almost ready to be warriors._


End file.
